Department for Transport

Shipping: Pay

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will respond to the consultation on the Harbours (Seafarers’ Remuneration) Bill which closed on 7 June 2022.

Robert Courts: We will be publishing a government response to the formal public consultation which set out full details of the Bill’s proposals as soon as we have finalised full analysis of all the responses, which is currently underway.

Railways: East of England

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of rail strikes on the Greater Anglia line.

Wendy Morton: We deeply regret the decision of the rail unions to hold three days of strikes. They will adversely affect students taking examinations and have negative impacts on working people and the wider economy. We committed £16 billion to support the railways through the pandemic - taxpayers’ money - equivalent of £600 for every household in this country or £160,000 per rail worker in this country. Department officials are working with the industry, including Greater Anglia and Network Rail, to provide some services on key routes, including on the Greater Anglia network but these services will be very limited.

Transport

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress his Department has made on developing proposals for the Transport Bill announced in the Queen's Speech 2022; and what next steps he plans to take to progress that Bill.

Wendy Morton: The Transport Bill announced in the Queen’s speech, brings together the primary legislative measures required to deliver the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail and keep the UK at the global forefront of transport innovation. The Department published a public consultation on the primary legislative changes that are proposed to meet the commitments in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail on 9 June 2022. Public consultations on the Future of Transport measures have taken place and the Government will publish responses to those consultations shortly.

Electric Scooters: Accidents

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve safety for pedestrians from collisions involving e-scooters.

Trudy Harrison: Safety will always be a top priority for e-scooters, as for every other mode of transport. As we develop new regulations, we are determined to protect vulnerable road users by making users accountable for their actions and improving compliance with the rules. Our work will be informed by lessons learnt from trials, where measures have been put in place to improve rider training and require that e-scooters have a bell or a horn so that they are audible. We will consult publicly before any new arrangements come into force.The use of e-scooters on the pavement is illegal under current legislation, and the Government has no plans to change this. Enforcement is a matter for the police. The Department for Transport has been in regular contact with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, who are developing a national strategy for enforcing the law around e-scooters to encourage a uniform approach to the issue.

Airports: Stoma Appliances

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department provides additional guidance for people fitted with stoma bags on airport security checks.

Robert Courts: The Secretary of State for Transport sets the security standards with which the aviation industry must comply. This includes the requirement for people to be searched. My department provides guidance to the industry on the need for consideration of those with fitted with medical devices when undertaking security searches and we would expect all passengers to be treated in a respectful and dignified manner. It is the airport’s responsibility to ensure that their security personnel conduct searches appropriately and with a sensitive regard to the person being screened. My department works closely with the CAA which provides advice for passengers who have medical devices. This includes a Medical Device Awareness Card for passengers to use when travelling. This outlines what documentation passenger may wish to present (such as a medical letter) when arriving at the security checkpoint. It also acts as a reminder to security officers that alternative processes should be used for screening passengers with medical devices.

Airports: Stoma Appliances

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking with airports to ensure that airport operators security staff receive training on searching passengers who are fitted with stoma bags.

Robert Courts: As part of training in the screening of passengers my department requires security staff to know how to respond to the specific needs of different passengers, including those with medical devices. It is the airport’s responsibility to ensure that their security personnel receive training to conduct security searches appropriately and are trained with a sensitive regard to the person being screened.

Airports: Stoma Appliances

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking with airport operators to ensure the privacy and dignity of airline passengers fitted with stoma bags when undergoing security checks by airport security staff.

Robert Courts: As part of ensuring the privacy and dignity of passengers fitted with medical devices within the arrangements for the screening of passengers there is provision that allows security staff to carry out a hand search in a private room. Where necessary or appropriate, airports should enable hand searches of passengers in private. Passengers are also able to make this request including that the security staff member is the same sex as the passenger. The passenger can also ask for a friend or family member travelling with them to be present in the room while the search is carried out.

Travel: Stoma Appliances

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether security checks for passengers fitted with stoma bags is uniform across all forms of international travel form the UK via (a) planes (b) rail and (c) ferries.

Robert Courts: The Secretary of State for Transport sets the security standards with which all forms of international travel must comply. This includes the requirement for people to be searched. We would expect all passengers being searched, including those fitted with medical devices, to be treated in the same respectful and dignified manner regardless of the mode of travel. It is the industry’s responsibility to ensure that their security personnel conduct searches appropriately and with a sensitive regard to the person being screened such as passengers fitted with medical devices.

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has held discussions with representatives of (a) trade unions and staff, (b) the aviation industry and (c) the Health and Safety Executive on standards of air filtration on piloted aircraft since 1 January 2020.

Robert Courts: During the pandemic, air filtration onboard aircraft was of particular interest in relation to transmission of the COVID-19 virus. My officials have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders throughout the pandemic on a variety of issues, including aircraft filtrations systems and standards.

Harbour Authorities

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many statutory harbour authorities in the UK are (a) private, (b) municipal or (c) trust ports.

Robert Courts: Port ownership models are not subject to frequent change. The most recent comprehensively collected data on this topic, from 2005, estimates there to be 181 private ports, 170 municipal ports and 75 trust ports in the UK. It should be noted for that this data is not collected on a regular basis and it is possible this number has slightly altered since the data was last collected.

Railways: Concessions

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what biometric checks are undertaken to ensure people applying for Veterans Railcards are veterans.

Wendy Morton: The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) is responsible for the application and verification process of the Veterans Railcards. When applying for a Veterans Railcard, applicants must provide RDG with evidence of their eligibility. A list of accepted documents is available on the Veterans Railcard website: https://www.veterans-railcard.co.uk/are-you-eligible/.

Ferries: Minimum Wage

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2022 to Question 3624 on Ferries: minimum wage, when his Department will introduce legislation to ensure that seafarers working on vessels that regularly use UK ports are paid at least an equivalent rate to the National Minimum Wage.

Robert Courts: Legislation to ensure that seafarers working on vessels that regularly use UK ports are paid at least an equivalent rate to the UK National Minimum Wage, irrespective of the seafarer or flag of the vessel, will be introduced as soon as the Parliamentary timetable allows. Our public consultation closed on 7th June 2022, and we will be publishing a government response to the consultation in due course, following a full analysis of the responses.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Andy Carter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that potholes are repaired by local highways authorities in a timely and suitable manner to ensure that roads are safe for cyclists.

Trudy Harrison: Well-planned maintenance to prevent potholes and other defects from forming in the first place is vital, and the Department advocates a risk-based, whole life-cycle asset management approach to all aspects of the local highway network. To assist local authorities in treating potholes and other road defects, the Department worked with the Association of Directors, for Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) to publish Potholes: a repair guide.

Motor Vehicles: Sales

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of trends in the levels of sales of (a) new cars and (b) electric vehicles in each of the last five years.

Trudy Harrison: The Data for vehicle sales is not available, however the number of cars registered for the first time in the United Kingdom for the last five years is shown in the table. YearAll Fuel TypesBattery Electric Cars20172,564,33013,91320182,394,04215,75620192,346,57638,00720201,656,403107,91320211,677,245190,420  Source: Department for Transport (DfT) and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)

Restoring Your Railway Fund: Abbey Line

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 14 March 2022 to Question 136664, when he plans to make a decision on the Abbey Line bid to the Restoring Your Railway programme.

Wendy Morton: A Strategic Outline Business Case for the Abbey Line bid was submitted to the Department in March 2021 as part of the Restoring Your Railway programme. The SOBC has now been assessed. I wrote to you, the co-sponsoring MP and the promoter with the outcome ahead of the announcement made on 18 June 2022.

Driving Licences

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether someone with an Application Registration Card can apply for a provisional driving licence.

Trudy Harrison: An Application Registration Card is not acceptable for the purposes of applying for a driving licence as it does not evidence that the applicant meets the legal residency requirements. Driving licence applications from non-GB nationals must include evidence of the applicant’s identity and immigration status before a licence can be issued. Acceptable forms of immigration status include a UK issued Biometric Residence Permit, a non-UK Passport with appropriate VISA/Vignette showing the applicant has permission to live in the UK for 185 days or more, or a view and prove your immigration status share code issued by the Home Office.

Driving Tests

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the DVLA has taken to prevent the booking of practical driving tests for re-sale by third parties.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data the DVLA collects on mass booking of driving tests for re-sale by third parties.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many practical driving tests were booked via a third party agent for re-sale in 2022 as of 13 June.

Trudy Harrison: To prevent the booking and re-selling of driving test appointments, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has: stopped accepting new automatic online registrations to use its tests booking service – any new applications must be made by email, where they’ll be thoroughly checked by the DVSAstopped accepting any new registrations from companies who do not directly employ a driving instructorremoved registrations not linked to driving instructorsreduced the number of times a driving test appointment can be changed from 10 to the pre-pandemic limit of 6 - if changes are required after reaching this limit, approved driving instructors or candidates will have to cancel the test and rebook it.Practical driving test appointments are only assigned to individuals wanting to take their driving test. There is no facility to allow the mass booking of driving tests, neither are practical car driving test slots allocated to, or reserved for, private companies. As practical driving tests are booked against individuals, the DVSA does not hold data on how many were booked via a third-party.

Road Traffic Control: Dover

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ease congestion arising from lorry traffic departing Dover.

Trudy Harrison: Recent increase in traffic queues for freight and passenger travel in Kent was caused by a combination of factors. Disruption began because of adverse weather conditions causing delays to sailings from Port of Dover and the situation was significantly exacerbated by the well-documented actions of P&O Ferries which account for over 35% of the market share of Dover. Coupled with the brief cessation of Eurotunnel services due to a breakdown and an increase in passenger and freight traffic, disruption quickly grew in Kent. The Kent Resilience Forum’s (KRF’s) traffic management and enforcement plans, including activation of Operation Brock on the M20, were put in place in late March to ensure continued flow of vehicles through Kent to ports whilst also trying to maintain local mobility as much as possible. Additional resilience measures were put in place, which had a positive impact on maintaining throughput to the ports and keeping local roads moving. Over the May half-term and Jubilee Weekend, there was no significant disruption on the Kent strategic road network. Operation Brock has now been deactivated as of 5 June, but the Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) will reconsider deploying it ahead of the start of the school summer holidays. To further ease congestion in Dover, we are strengthening enforcement against those hauliers deviating from Operation Brock and causing gridlock on local roads, and greater usage of freight parking capacity at Sevington Inland Border Facility and Ashford Truck Stop when Operation Brock is reaching its capacity. These measures will help to keep the M20 open to all vehicles and enable local and passenger traffic to keep flowing throughout Kent.

Shipping: Pay

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Harbours (Seafarers’ Remuneration) Bill will apply equally to statutory harbour authorities (a) within and (b) outside maritime Freeports.

Robert Courts: The intention is for the Bill to introduce a requirement for in-scope service operators to provide declarations of compliance to Statutory Harbour Authorities (SHAs) with powers of inspection and investigation provided to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Additionally, the intention is for the Secretary of State to be able to direct SHAs to suspend access to non-compliant operators. The duties placed on ports will apply equally to all UK SHAs, regardless of whether they will be within a Freeport zone or not.

Shipping: Pay

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Harbours (Seafarers’ Remuneration) Bill will apply equally to (a) private, (b) municipal and (c) trust ports.

Robert Courts: The intention is for the Bill to introduce a requirement for in-scope service operators to provide declarations of compliance to Statutory Harbour Authorities (SHAs) with powers of inspection and investigation provided to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Additionally, the intention is for the Secretary of State to be able to direct SHAs to suspend access to non-compliant operators. The duties placed on ports will apply equally to all UK SHAs, regardless of whether the SHA is under Trust, municipal or private ownership.

Railways: Conditions of Employment

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with train operating companies on any potential changes to workers' (a) pay, (b) conditions and (c) pensions.

Wendy Morton: To ensure that as Ministers we have the very latest position, we are constantly updated on the Department’s engagement with the industry and have regular meetings with operators. The disputes are between individual employers and the trade unions and it would not be for Government to intervene in this relationship. We encourage meaningful discussions and for the trade unions to return to the negotiating table in order to end these rail strikes which impact businesses, users and the general public.

Freeports

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, If he will list the (a) private, (b) municipal and (c) trust ports that are within the Freeport zones in England announced by the Government in March 2021.

Robert Courts: There are 18 privately owned ports, 2 municipal ports, and 2 trust ports within Freeport zones. There is one port which is owned by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) but privately leased and operated. These numbers depend on how a port is classified – for the purposes of this answer, the publication Focus on Ports (2006 edition) has been used as guidance supplemented with updated information where status is known to have changed or new ports have opened. There are also 4 airports. A list by Freeport zone is below: East MidlandsEast Midlands AirportFreeport EastPort of Felixstowe - PrivatePort of Ipswich – PrivatePort of Mistley – PrivateHarwich Haven (includes Harwich International Port within the Harbour Authority area which is privately operated) – TrustHumber FreeportPort of Hull - PrivatePort of Immingham - PrivatePort of Goole - PrivatePort of Grimsby - PrivateLiverpool City Region FreeportPort of Liverpool – PrivatePort of Birkenhead - PrivatePort Garston - PrivatePort Weston - PrivateManchester Ship Canal (including Port Salford) - PrivateLiverpool John Lennon AirportPlymouth and South Devon FreeportABP Millbay Docks - PrivateSutton Harbour - PrivatePort of Plymouth – MunicipalCattewater Harbour – TrustSolent FreeportPort of Southampton (includes DP World Southampton terminal) – PrivateSolent Gateway/Port of Marchwood – MoD owned but privately leasedPortsmouth International Port – MunicipalSouthampton Airport Teesside FreeportTeesport and Hartlepool (includes Redcar Bulk Terminal, Port of Middlesbrough, and Port of Hartlepool) – PrivateTeesside International Airport Thames FreeportLondon Gateway - PrivatePort of Tilbury (including Tilbury2) - Private

Harbour Authorities: Staff

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people are directly employed by Statutory Harbour Authorities in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Robert Courts: This is not data that is directly collected or held by the Department.The most recent publicly available estimates suggests that the sector directly employs around 100,000 people around the UK.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Standards

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average time taken was for the DVLA to process a driving licence application in each of the last three years.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of driving licence applications initiated with the DVLA were resolved within (a) two weeks, (b) four weeks, (c) eight weeks, (d) 12 weeks and (e) more than 12 weeks in each year between 2018 and 2022.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of driving licence applications initiated with the DVLA were resolved within (a) two weeks, (b) four weeks, (c) eight weeks, (d) 12 weeks and (e) more than 12 weeks in the calendar year 2022.

Trudy Harrison: The information requested is not readily available. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) officials will write to the Honourable Member when the information is available.

Railways: Industrial Disputes

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment on the impact of the proposed rail strikes on the tourism industry in each region of England.

Wendy Morton: Despite the industry’s efforts, we expect the rail strikes to be extremely disruptive, and advise passengers to avoid travelling unless necessary. A reduced rail timetable will be operated on strike days, which can be resourced within existing constraints. This is likely to have an adverse impact on the tourism industry, but it will provide passengers, and especially our key workers, with certainty around which services are running so they can plan their journeys confidently.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Carbon Dioxide and Fertilisers: Manufacturing Industries

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that (a) fertiliser and (b) carbon dioxide continue to be manufactured in the UK.

Lee Rowley: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy Bills Rebate

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether residents of buildings with communal heating systems will be eligible for the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme grant.

Greg Hands: There will be different considerations for consumers depending on their circumstances and the way in which they pay their energy bills. All domestic electricity customers who have a direct relationship with a licensed electricity supplier will be automatically eligible for this Scheme. The Government continues to work with consumer groups and suppliers on the delivery of the Scheme and is exploring options for other ways in which customers who do not have a domestic electricity contract might receive similar support. The full suite of help from the government is covered here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-support-for-the-cost-of-living-factsheet/government-support-for-the-cost-of-living-factsheet.

Energy Bills Rebate

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether people who live in residential flats and receive energy from communal energy and heat networks will be eligible for the Energy Bills Support Scheme; and if his Department will take steps to provide further support for energy costs to vulnerable people who live in residential flats.

Greg Hands: There will be different considerations for consumers depending on their circumstances and the way in which they pay their energy bills.All domestic electricity customers, who have a direct relationship with a licensed electricity supplier, will be automatically eligible for this Scheme.The Government continues to work with consumer groups and suppliers on the delivery of the Scheme and is exploring options for other ways in which customers who do not have a domestic electricity contract might receive similar support. The full suite of help from the government, including for vulnerable people, is covered here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-support-for-the-cost-of-living-factsheet/government-support-for-the-cost-of-living-factsheet.

Sizewell C Power Station: China

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what level of share ownership does China General Nuclear have within NNB Holding Company Limited, for the construction of Sizewell C Power Station.

Greg Hands: China General Nuclear (CGN) is a 20 percent shareholder in the Sizewell C project. Commercial negotiations on the project are ongoing and no decisions, including on a final configuration of investors, have been made. The project is also subject to an ongoing application for development consent, entirely separate from the commercial negotiations.

Boilers: Government Assistance

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether grants are available for the replacement of old oil boilers in properties where a heat pump cannot be installed.

Greg Hands: The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides upfront grants of £5,000 towards the installation and capital costs of biomass boilers to support the transition away from oil boilers and other forms of fossil fuel heating. In order to be eligible for this scheme, biomass boilers must be installed in a property which is in a rural location and is not connected to the gas grid. The biomass boiler must also meet relevant emissions requirements under the scheme.

Energy Bills Rebate: Fuel Oil

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2022 to Question 10044 on Fuel Oil: Rural Areas, how heating oil consumers who are not also domestic electricity customers will receive their entitlement through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how LPG consumers who are not also domestic electricity customers will receive their entitlement through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how people who are not connected to the electricity grid and rely on diesel generators will receive their entitlement through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

Greg Hands: The Government is aware that not all households have their electricity provided through a domestic electricity supply contract and are connected to the electricity grid. This was covered the Government’s technical consultation (Energy Bills Support Scheme – Managing the impact of the energy price shock on consumer bills) which closed on 23 May. Households without a domestic electricity supply contract are not eligible for the Scheme and the government is exploring options for other ways in which they might receive similar support. Responses to the consultation are being analysed and the Government’s response will be published in the summer.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2022 to Question 5668 on Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, what steps he is taking to ensure that members of the Mineworkers’ pension scheme receive their fair entitlement of moneys from that scheme.

Greg Hands: I refer the hon. Member to my previous answer.

Heat Pumps

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2022 to Question 9043 on Heat Pumps, what the process is for installers to be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme; and what checks are made to ensure quality of work by installers once accredited.

Greg Hands: The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) is an independent quality assurance organisation. MCS sets out the process for installers to become certified on their website. MCS Certification Bodies are responsible for carrying out checks on installers and are accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to assess products and installers to the MCS Standards, within the ISO/IEC17065 accreditation framework.

Fuels: Prices

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the difference in petrol pump prices in (a) June 2022 and (b) 2014; and whether he has made an assessment of the implications of those prices on UK (i) refinery capacity and (ii) refined petrol competition.

Greg Hands: In 2014 nominal fuel prices in the UK averaged 127.4 pence/litre (petrol) and 133.5 pence/litre (diesel), compared to average June 2022 prices (to 13/06/22) of 179.0 (petrol) and 187.9 (diesel). The changes in retail prices largely reflect those in traded wholesale prices for the fuels and exchange rates. The nameplate atmospheric distillation capacity of all UK refineries decreased from 74.6 million tonnes/year at the end of 2013 to 62.3 million tonnes/year in March 2021. The Government has asked the Competition and Markets Authority to conduct an urgent review of the fuel market, to explore whether the retail fuel market has adversely affected consumer interests.

Green Homes Grant Scheme: Insulation

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to provide redress to people whose property values or access to mortgage finance have been damaged as a result of spray foam insulation installed using Green Homes Grant Voucher finance.

Greg Hands: Decisions concerning pricing and availability of mortgages are commercial decisions for lenders. The Government does not seek to intervene in these.Spray foam is acceptable under Publicly Available Specifications 2030/2035 standards which are a pre-requisite for many Government schemes. This provides the customer with security and guarantees against work delivered.Under the Voucher Scheme, it was the responsibility of a certified installer to recommend an appropriate product that meets standards, with homeowner’s responsible to decide measures they want to install.In order to be eligible as an installer for the scheme, tradespeople must be registered with TrustMark, which has a robust framework of operating requirements, including dispute management.

Energy Bills Rebate: Houseboats

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will extend the Energy Bills Support Scheme to cover those who live on houseboats and who purchase their electricity via a marina owner.

Greg Hands: The Government is aware that not all households have electricity provided through a domestic electricity supply contract, such as houseboat residents. This was raised in the government’s technical consultation (Energy Bills Support Scheme – Managing the impact of the energy price shock on consumer bills) which closed on 23 May. Households without a domestic electricity supply contract are not eligible for the Scheme and the government is exploring options for other ways in which they might receive similar support. Responses to the consultation are being analysed and the Government response will be published in the summer.

Energy Bills Rebate

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that the £400 energy bill rebate reaches (a) those living in residential park homes or (b) in other forms of accommodation who do not pay their energy bills directly to their energy provider.

Greg Hands: The Government is aware that not all households have electricity provided through a domestic electricity supply contract. Households without a domestic electricity supply contract are not eligible for the Scheme and the Government are exploring options for other ways in which they might receive similar support. This was raised in our technical consultation (Energy Bills Support Scheme – Managing the impact of the energy price shock on consumer bills) which closed the 23 May. Responses to the consultation are being analysed and the Government response will be published in the summer.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what (a) financial and (b) other steps his Department is taking to help support the growth of the automotive sector in the West Midlands.

Lee Rowley: The Government has a longstanding and comprehensive programme of support for the UK automotive sector. As part of the Net Zero Strategy, in October 2021, the Government announced a further £350m to be delivered through the Automotive Transformation Fund over the next three years to support development of an internationally competitive electric vehicle supply chain here in the UK. This is additional to the £500m announced as part of my rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan in November 2020. This will help to create thousands of well-paid green jobs in our industrial heartlands, including the West Midlands.

Shipbuilding: Trade Competitiveness

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has plans to develop new financial support packages to help support UK shipyards to compete internationally.

Lee Rowley: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is developing proposals for a Home Shipbuilding Loan Guarantee instrument as part of the cross-Whitehall National Shipbuilding Strategy. We hope to launch this instrument shortly.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Freedom of Information

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Freedom of Information requests submitted to the Government in 2021 are still unanswered.

George Freeman: A total of 1358 Freedom of Information requests were submitted to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in 2021, and 68 are currently unanswered.

Military Aircraft: Procurement

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterparts in (a) Europe, (b) the Middle East and (c) Asia on procurement of the (i) Eurofighter Typhoon and (ii) other defence aircraft which were designed and manufactured in the UK.

Lee Rowley: The procurement of defence equipment by other countries is a matter for the Ministry of Defence, and the Department for International Trade. Matters relating to these subjects should be directed to those Departments.

Aerospace Industry: Titanium

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what (a) assessment he has made of the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on titanium supplies for the aerospace industry in the UK and (b) discussions he has had with his counterparts in Japan and other supply countries on the meeting the UK demand for titanium.

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the supply of (a) steel, (b) zinc and (c) other metals necessary for the aerospace industry in the UK.

Lee Rowley: The invasion of Ukraine has created uncertainty in the global economy. The sanctions and strong response by the UK and its allies are vital in supporting the Ukrainian people, but these decisions will inevitably have an impact on the supply of goods, both in the UK and in other economies. We have been in close contact with the UK aerospace sector to understand the implications of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on the supply of metals, and their timelines for finding alternative sources where needed. We are aware of the sector’s priorities and are looking to work with them whilst, at the same time, ensure HM Government’s policy stance reflects the unacceptability of Russia’s action towards Ukraine. The resilience of critical supply chains is a priority for the Government. The UK benefits from an open international trading system and our priority is to work with allies and international partners, including Japan, to promote it.

Animal Experiments

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make assessment of the potential merits of the creation a new ministerial role with specific responsibility for leading the replacement of animal experiments with human relevant science.

George Freeman: The Government continues to actively support and fund the development and dissemination of the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement) for the use of animals in scientific procedures. This is achieved through UK Research and Innovation’s funding of the National Centre for the 3Rs, which works nationally and internationally to drive the uptake of non-animal technologies, and through research into the development of alternatives by Innovate UK, the Medical Research Council, and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. The Government is committed to the development of alternatives to using animals in scientific procedures and to avoiding unnecessary suffering. As laid out in the List of Ministerial responsibilities, I am the Minister with lead responsibility in this area.

Batteries: Health Hazards

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking in the response to the campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of button batteries.

Paul Scully: The Government takes the dangers associated with button batteries seriously and is leading a range of action to tackle this issue.The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) established a working group last year, drawn from a wide range of stakeholders representing consumers, business, medical professionals and enforcing authorities to take forward work to improve safety outcomes related to button batteries.This includes work with The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, the Child Accident Prevention Trust, and the British and Irish Portable Battery Association to raise awareness amongst parents and carers.

Clothing: Manufacturing Industries

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of a recent study commissioned by the Garment and Textile Workers Trust that more than half of the Leicester garment workers are paid below the minimum wage and receive no holiday pay.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to tackle poor working conditions and practices in the garment industry in (a) Leicester and (b) the UK.

Paul Scully: The Government launched Operation Tacit to address allegations of widespread non-compliance in the Leicester garment sector. Since June 2020, HMRC have considered the National Minimum Wage (NMW) risks associated with more than 500 Leicester textiles businesses as part of Operation Tacit.HMRC have also taken part in more than 360 visits to businesses providing advice and support to employers and workers on NMW obligations and rights, and taking enforcement action where concerns have been identified. Based on HMRC's extensive, on the ground experience, their findings are that the NMW risks in the Leicester textile industry are in line with the rest of the UK manufacturing sector.We continue to encourage anyone with information to come forward.

Cost of Living: Small Businesses

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of trends in the level of consumer spending on small businesses across the UK as the cost of living increases.

Paul Scully: BEIS monitors a range of indicators across the economy, including consumer spending and business health. The most recent ONS data[i] indicate that most businesses, including small businesses, reported that April turnover increased or stayed the same, compared to March. When asked about expectations for turnover in June, most small businesses still expected their revenue to stay the same or increase. Recognising the challenges facing businesses and consumers, Government measures include £15 billion to support struggling households, bringing total support to help manage the cost of living total to £37billion this year.[i] ONS BICS Wave 57 – published 1 June 2022

Department of Health and Social Care

Joint Replacements: Waiting Lists

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of average waiting times for joint replacement surgery in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England; and what steps his Department is taking to (i) clear backlogs and (ii) reduce average waiting times for joint replacement surgery in those areas.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Blood Tests: Halton

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to tackle delays in securing patient appointments for blood tests from GP referrals in Halton constituency.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Tourette's Syndrome: Health Services

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that specialist medical services for Tourettes Syndrome are accessible to people outside of London.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Food: Advertising

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to restrict advertising for foods that are high in fat, sugar or salt to help reduce obesity.

Maggie Throup: Restrictions on the advertising of products high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) on television before 9pm and paid for advertising online will be introduced on 1 January 2024. This will supplement existing restrictions on HFSS advertising during children’s and other programming of particular appeal to children.

Public Health: Air Pollution

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the total annual cost to public health expenditure of current air pollution levels in (a) England and (b) the UK.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency estimates that between 2017 and 2025, the total cost to the National Health Service and social care from air pollution in England will be £1.60 billion for fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide combined. No recent estimate of the annual cost to public health expenditure of current air pollution levels in the United Kingdom has been made.

Novel Foods

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Food Standards Agency has had recent meetings with representatives of international peer regulators in relation to novel foods.

Maggie Throup: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) regularly meets with its counterpart food safety regulators and discusses novel foods and food innovation.In March 2022, the FSA’s Chief Executive participated in the third meeting of the International Heads of Food Agency Forum attended by food agency leaders and representatives of international food organisations. The meeting discussed new food sources and production systems and included novel food regulation. At working level, the FSA has participated in meetings with international peers, including with the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, Thailand, and Republic of Ireland.

Evusheld

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for making a decision on the use of Evusheld following conclusion of UKHSA testing.

Maggie Throup: AstraZeneca commissioned the UK Health Strategic Authority to conduct studies into the effectiveness of Evusheld against the Omicron variants. Initial data has been shared with AstraZeneca. The Department is also assessing Evusheld through requesting advice from clinicians on the most appropriate option for the National Health Service in line with available data, the public health situation and other treatments available. While we expect to receive clinical advice shortly we are unable to confirm a specific timetable.

Novel Foods

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Food Standards Agency approvals process for novel foods.

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Food Standards Agency approvals process for alternative proteins.

Maggie Throup: The Foods Standards Agency (FSA) has committed to review the novel foods regulations. This will include identifying opportunities to streamline processes to support industry innovation, without detracting from the safeguards which support the United Kingdom’s food safety standards. The FSA is engaging with businesses, including the alternative proteins industry, on how the regulations could be improved.

Breast Cancer: Plastic Surgery

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time for free flap or autologous breast reconstruction has been since March 2020.

Maria Caulfield: Hospital Episode Statistics data is collected by financial year. In 2020/21, the mean average waiting time between a decision to admit and admission to hospital for free flap or autologous breast reconstruction was 319 days, with a median average of 301 days. Provisional data for 2021/22 shows a mean average waiting time of 388 days and a median average of 330 days.

Hepatitis

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure regular testing and post-treatment follow-up of hepatitis C in (a) drug services, (b) pharmacies and (c) sexual health services.

Maggie Throup: The Community Pharmacy Hepatitis C Antibody Testing Service ensures that people who inject drugs who are not currently accessing community drug and alcohol treatment services can be tested for hepatitis C (HCV) at a participating community pharmacy. This service has recently been extended until at least March 2023. Where individuals test positive for HCV antibodies, they will be referred for appropriate further testing and treatment via the relevant NHS Operational Delivery Network.Within drug services, a new micro-elimination criteria accompanied by guidance from NHS England encourages providers to increase rates of HCV testing and ensure engagement in treatment for any patients testing positive. The National Health Service has recently established an opt-out HCV testing pilot in sexual health services. The pilot has shown the benefit of HCV testing in sexual health services is limited, with large number of tests being required to find a small number of cases at rates no higher than observed in the general population. However, any positive tests in sexual health services are directed to clinical treatment and followed up to confirm a sustained virological response at 12, 24 and 48 weeks post-treatment.

Breast Cancer: Surgery

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) local and (b) national steps he is taking to help grow the oncoplastic workforce.

Maria Caulfield: In 2022/23 Health Education England is investing an additional £50 million to expand the cancer and diagnostics workforce, including in oncoplastic surgery. Officials are currently analysing the responses received to the call for evidence to develop the forthcoming 10 Year Cancer Plan, which will ensure that the appropriate workforce is in place.

Hepatitis

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the publication of the report by the Hepatitis C Trust and HCV Action on Reframing Reinfection in March 2022, what steps he is taking to understand and address the needs of people with complex needs who are not yet being reached, diagnosed and treated for Hepatitis C.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes an annual report which summarises the prevalence of hepatitis C infection in England and areas for action. This includes estimates of re-infection following treatment and how this should be addressed, such as annual testing for those most at risk in line with guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. The latest report ‘Hepatitis C in England 2022: Working to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health problem’ is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1057271/HCV-in-England-2022-full-report.pdfNHS England’s hepatitis C elimination programme has approximately 40 elimination initiatives aimed at identifying patients, testing, prevention and treatment. The programme is now focusing on those who may be unaware that they have historically been ‘at risk’, through testing in emergency departments, antenatal services and primary care.

Monkeypox: Disease Control

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of cases of monkeypox.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is working with system partners to understand the transmission of monkeypox and which communities are affected. The UKHSA has published guidance to raise awareness and advise the public on symptoms and how to access the appropriate care. The UKHSA has worked with NHS England, local authority commissioners and sexual health services to ensure the effective identification and isolation of cases and issued recommendations on the use of vaccination for named close contacts of cases, which is now underway.Registered medical practitioners in England now have a statutory duty to notify the local authority or health protection team of suspected cases of monkeypox, following regulations introduced on 8 June. When cases are confirmed, local health protection team is alerted and contact tracing and isolation guidance is issued.

Air Pollution: Health Hazards

Jo Gideon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help protect the public's health from air pollution ahead of Clean Air Day 2022.

Maggie Throup: The Government is currently consulting on two long-term targets for fine particulate matter under the Environment Act 2021. In addition, the Chief Medical Officer for England’s 2022 annual report will focus on air pollution, evidence for potential solutions to reduce the public health impacts and will offer recommendations based on this evidence. The report is due to be published in the summer.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what were the average response times for ambulances (a) operated by Yorkshire Ambulance Service, (b) in York and (c) in England by ambulance response category in each of the last 12 months.

Edward Argar: The following table shows the mean average ambulance response times in hours, minutes and seconds in each incident Category by Yorkshire Ambulance Service in each month from June 2021 to May 2022.Category 1Category 2Category 3Category 4June 20210:08:310:30:041:31:312:29:41July 20210:09:160:37:212:05:463:01:13August 20210:08:550:37:182:04:353:09:05September 20210:09:440:37:561:58:542:53:33October 20210:11:040:43:402:22:252:50:03November 20210:10:090:42:002:12:272:41:47December 20210:09:490:46:562:28:223:15:53January 20220:08:550:32:431:25:521:33:40February 20220:08:450:29:451:21:331:46:13March 20220:09:420:46:412:33:592:37:25April 20220:09:350:42:031:59:082:26:57May 20220:08:340:32:421:34:172:00:30 Source: NHS Ambulance Quality Indicators Response times in York are not collected centrally as this information is measured at regional ambulance trust level.The following table shows the mean average ambulance response times in hours, minutes and seconds in each incident Category in Englandin each month from June 2021 to May 2022. Category 1Category 2Category 3Category 4June 20210:07:550:24:351:54:403:04:59July 20210:08:340:30:412:33:543:40:24August 20210:08:280:41:042:14:263:10:00September 20210:09:020:38:392:35:433:53:46October 20210:09:220:45:303:09:544:28:50November 20210:09:110:53:552:37:123:40:01December 20210:09:140:46:382:51:033:27:59January 20220:08:310:53:221:56:522:34:49February 20220:08:510:38:042:16:133:01:26March 20220:09:350:42:073:28:124:07:40April 20220:09:021:01:052:38:413:08:01May 20220:08:360:51:222:09:322:47:57 Source: NHS Ambulance Quality Indicators

Evusheld

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date the UK Health Security Agency plans to complete testing on Evusheld’s efficacy against the omicron variant of covid-19; and what steps his Department plans to take to notify immunocompromised people that they are eligible for that treatment in the event that it is authorised.

Maggie Throup: AstraZeneca commissioned the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to undertake testing on the effectiveness of Evusheld against the Omicron variants and initial data for the BA.1 and BA.2 variants has been shared. However, AstraZeneca has not commissioned the UKHSA to initiate testing for the Omicron variant BA.4. After reviewing the data, AstraZeneca can determine whether to commission further testing.The Therapeutics Clinical Review Panel provides advice on the appropriate patient cohorts for new COVID-19 therapeutics, including preventive treatments such as Evusheld. If a decision to procure Evusheld for the National Health Service is made, we will determine how eligible patients should be notified.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Standards

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when NHS England plans to publish data on the number of patients waiting in Emergency Departments for 12 hours or more from their time of arrival in line with their responsibilities under the NHS Standard Contract 2022-23.

Edward Argar: The NHS Standard Contract for 2022/23 includes a 12-hour standard from time of arrival as a national quality indicator. While NHS England is currently considering arrangements for reporting against this standard, we are unable to confirm a publication date.

Breast Cancer: Surgery

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) capacity of and (b) levels of service provision by the oncoplastic workforce.

Maria Caulfield: No recent assessment has been made. In 2022/23 Health Education England is investing an additional £50 million to expand the cancer and diagnostics workforce in priority professions, including clinical radiology, histopathology, gastroenterology, clinical and medical oncology, diagnostic and therapeutic radiography.

Health Professions: Endoscopy

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the capacity of the endoscopy workforce.

Edward Argar: No specific assessment has been made. However, NHS England and NHS Improvement are increasing capacity in endoscopy through community diagnostic centres and the endoscopy-specific transformation project. NHS England and NHS Improvement and Health Education England’s joint diagnostic workforce programme aims to increase the diagnostic workforce and ensure the effective use of the current workforce. National Health Service regional teams are also ensuring that capacity and demand are planned across care pathways to maximise resources. Bowel Cancer Screening Accreditation has increased the number of accreditation sessions and amended its delivery model to one more regionally based to improve accessibility for candidates. An enhanced mentorship programme has been introduced to ensure endoscopists are supported to pass the screening accreditation.

General Practitioners: Retirement

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of GPs currently working in the NHS who will have retired by 2024.

Maria Caulfield: No specific estimate has been made as a general practitioner’s (GPs) decision to retire can be influenced by many factors. We are working to increase the general practice workforce, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encourage them to return to practice. The updated GP Contract Framework for 2020/21 announced a number of new retention schemes and continued support for existing schemes, to retain more GPs.

Pharmacy: Staff

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with NHS England on staffing issues in community pharmacy.

Maria Caulfield: We have had no specific discussions. Community pharmacies are commercial organisations with a role in staff recruitment and retention. NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to work with employers to provide support and maintain good access to National Health Service pharmaceutical services.

Dental Services: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) dental surgeries and (b) dentists are delivering units of dental activity in York.

Maria Caulfield: In 2021/22, 209 dentists performed National Health Service activity in the NHS Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group, the last year for which data is available. Data on the number of providers in York and other areas in Yorkshire is not held centrally.

Dental Services: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Centres for Dental Development he plans to locate in York.

Maria Caulfield: Health Education England (HEE) will work with the Department, NHS England and NHS Improvement and other stakeholders, including existing dental schools, to develop integrated Centres for Dental Development. HEE is working with regional commissioners in areas where an interest in the scheme has been expressed.

Hormone Replacement Therapy: Ethnic Groups

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has commissioned research into variations in the effectiveness of Hormone Replacement Therapy on women from ethnic minorities.

Maria Caulfield: Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department has not commissioned this specific research. However, the NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including hormone replacement therapy. While it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, the NIHR’s funding is available through open competition and we encourage researchers to submit applications in this area.

Tourette's Syndrome: Research

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase funding for research into the (a) causes of and (b) treatments for Tourette’s syndrome.

Maria Caulfield: Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Tourette’s syndrome. While it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, the NIHR’s funding is available through open competition and researchers are encouraged to submit applications in this area. The NIHR has supported a study on deep brain stimulation in people with Tourette’s syndrome and a digital behavioural intervention for tics in children and adolescents with Tourette’s syndrome.

Diagnosis: Investment

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what long-term plans for investment in the domestic diagnostics industry he has made to help ensure that the necessary (a) relationships, (b) infrastructure and (c) supply chains are in place for the UK’s future health security.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Health Security Agency is building surveillance capacity in the Centre for Pandemic Preparedness and working with NHS England and NHS Improvement’s pathology networks, to ensure that diagnostic facilities and supply chains are prepared for future pandemics. We will prepare and maintain the capability to deploy testing and other tools, such as laboratory infrastructure, to be used against a new variant.We have also committed to invest £2.3 billion through NHS England and NHS Improvement’s National Diagnostic Programme to support the launch of more than 100 community diagnostics centres and supplement further capacity in the pathology network. Through Innovate UK, the Government has supported 155 diagnostic businesses in the United Kingdom. The Medicines and Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund and Life Sciences Innovation Manufacturing Fund will further support and incentivise domestic diagnostics manufacturing.

Mental Health: Research

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to increase research funding for mental health.

Maria Caulfield: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In 2020/21, the NIHR’s expenditure on mental health research was approximately £109 million. The NIHR has recently invested an additional £30 million in a Mental Health Research Initiative to address the disparity between regional needs and mental health research activity. This has funded more than 100 new mental health projects in areas of unmet need across the NIHR’s research infrastructure. The NIHR is exploring the provision of further support to improve research capacity and capability in regions with low research activity and high unmet need. The NIHR’s funding is available through open competition and researchers are encouraged to submit applications in this area.

Breast Cancer: Plastic Surgery

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many delayed breast reconstructions have taken place since March 2020; and what proportion of those delayed reconstructions have used (a) free flap and (b) autologous breast reconstruction.

Maria Caulfield: The data is not available in the format requested.

NHS: Staff

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of (a) verbal abuse and (b) physical attacks experienced by NHS staff in (i) Coventry, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England in each of the last three years; and what steps his Department is taking to better protect NHS staff in those areas from that abuse.

Edward Argar: The following table shows the proportion of cases where National Health Service staff in organisations in Coventry, the West Midlands and England experienced at least one occurrence of physical violence at work from patients and service users, their relatives or other members of the public in each of the last three years. 201920202021University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust13.8%13.7%15.2%Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust19.7%14.9%14.3%Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care SystemN/A11.2%10.4%Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care SystemN/A13.4%14.2%The Black Country and West Birmingham Integrated Care SystemN/A13.1%13.5%England15.0%14.6%14.3% Source: NHS Staff Survey The following table shows the proportion of cases where NHS staff in organisations in Coventry, the West Midlands and England experienced At least one occurrence of harassment, bullying or abuse at work from patients and service users, their relatives or other members of the public in each of the last three years. 201920202021University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust27.4%27.2%29.7%Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust27.0%22.9%26.0%Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care SystemN/A21.3%23.2%Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care SystemN/A25.9%28.6%The Black Country and West Birmingham Integrated Care SystemN/A26.7%27.2%England28.7%26.8%27.5% Source: NHS Staff SurveyData for integrated care systems are not available for 2019.NHS England has established a violence reduction programme to address deliberate violence and aggression towards NHS staff and ensure offenders are punished. The Civility and Respect programme aims to tackle bullying and harassment in the NHS.

Diabetes: Health Services

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department will take to improve access to technology for diabetes patients.

Maria Caulfield: Clinical commissioning groups determine the eligibility criteria for patient access to diabetes technology. NHS England and NHS Improvement have commissioned two remote structured education programmes to provide education to patients on management of their condition, including access to diabetes technology.

NHS: Hearing Aids

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve access to NHS hearing aids and (b) reduce waiting times for those aids by working with high street providers.

Gillian Keegan: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for the provision of and access to hearing aids for mild to moderate hearing loss in the local population. In 2018, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued guidance, ‘Hearing loss in adults: assessment and management’, which aims to improve hearing loss services, including provision of hearing aids. The guidance brings together evidence, standards and case studies to encourage best practice across England. We expect CCGs to have regard to NICE’s guidance when commissioning National Health Service audiology services.NHS Supply Chain is the main provider of equipment and consumables to the NHS. However, NHS providers are free to source from other suppliers.

Hospitals: Staff

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total cost to NHS hospitals was of using (a) agency staff and (b) bank staff in (i) 2020-21 and (ii) 2021-2022.

Edward Argar: The following table shows the expenditure on bank and agency staff in 2020/21. The information requested for 2021/22 is currently being collated and centrally verified. 2020/21Agency staff£2,436,415.00Bank staff£4,663,858,942

Dementia: Research

Rob Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated for dementia research in each of the (a) last and (b) next five years.

Maria Caulfield: The Department funds research on dementia through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Between 2017/18 and 2021/22, the NIHR allocated over £42 million in funding for dementia research. The following table shows the funding allocated to dementia research in each of the last five years.2017/18£7.7 million2018/19£3.1 million2019/20£7.8 million2020/21£11.8 million2021/22£11.9 million Information on expenditure through the NIHR’s infrastructure is not held in the format requested.The Government has committed to invest £375 million in neurodegenerative disease research over the next five years to fund projects into a range of diseases including dementia. However, it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics, therefore the information requested on funding dementia research for the next five years is not currently held. The NIHR relies on researchers submitting high-quality applications to access funding.

Neurology: Medical Treatments

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase funding into the causes of and treatments for Tourette’s syndrome and other neurological disorders.

Maria Caulfield: Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) the Department has funded or supported studies into the causes and treatments for Tourette’s syndrome. This includes a study on deep brain stimulation in people with Tourette’s syndrome and a digital behavioural intervention for tics in children and adolescents. In 2020/21, the NIHR’s expenditure on mental health research was £109 million. While it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, the NIHR’s funding is available through open competition and researchers are encouraged to submit applications in this area.

Food: Medical Treatments

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing an industry-funded application process for specialist medical nutrition products to the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances.

Edward Argar: No specific assessment has been made.

NHS: Greater Manchester

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department will take to ensure that there are adequate numbers of NHS staff in (a) Stockport and (b) Greater Manchester.

Edward Argar: Local National Health Service trusts are responsible for managing staffing levels and recruiting the appropriate number of health professionals required.As of February 2022, there were 5,029 full time equivalent (FTE) staff working at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, an increase of 4.1% from February 2021. This includes a 5.8% increase in the number of FTE doctors and a 9% increase in the number of nurses. As of February 2022, there were 186,214 staff working in NHS trusts in the North West, an increase 2.3% from February 2021. This includes a 3.2% increase in the number of FTE doctors and a 4.9% increase in the number of nurses.We have funded an additional 1,500 undergraduate medical school places for domestic students in England to provide a 25% increase over three years. We are also on schedule to meet the target of employing 50,000 more nurses in the NHS by March 2024.

Neurology: Health Services

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness and role of the NICE guidance for Tourette’s Syndrome and other neurological disorders.

Edward Argar: No specific assessment has been made. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidelines on a range of neurological disorders, including epilepsy, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. It has also published a guideline and quality standard for the recognition and referral of suspected neurological conditions. NICE guidelines represent best practice which healthcare professionals are expected to take fully into account in the treatment of individual patients.NICE has not published a guideline on Tourette’s Syndrome. Decisions on the topics where NICE will develop guidelines are based on factors such as the evidence base and clinical need. A topic selection oversight group at NICE considers topics for guideline development on this basis. Clinical guideline topics prioritised through this process are formally referred to NICE by NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Learning Disability: Mental Health Services

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to provide further (a) funding for training and (b) other resources to the NHS to help ensure that people with learning disabilities receive tailored mental health support.

Gillian Keegan: There are currently no specific plans to do so. However, the NHS Long Term Plan commits to increasing funding for National Health Service mental health services by approximately £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to allow a further two million people, including those with a learning disability, to access mental health support. This is in addition to £31 million provided in 2021/22 to support learning disability and autism services, address the diagnostic backlog as a result of the pandemic and support intervention to prevent children and young people with learning disability and autism escalating into crisis.We have also invested £1.4 million to develop and trial the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on learning disability and autism with over 8,000 participants in 2021. This training has been designed and delivered with autistic people, people with a learning disability, family, carers and subject matter experts and is intended to ensure that health and social care staff have the skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate and informed care.

Hay Fever

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who are affected by hayfever each year.

Gillian Keegan: No specific estimate has been made.

Cystic Fibrosis: Mental Health Services

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of (a) children and (b) adults with cystic fibrosis in England saw either a clinical psychologist or social worker at their latest annual review for each year since 2015.

Gillian Keegan: The information requested for social workers is not held. Data for clinical psychologists is not currently held in the format requested. However, the following table shows centrally validated quarterly data on the proportion of children with cystic fibrosis in England who saw a clinical psychologist within the 12 months prior to their latest annual review in each year from 2019/20 to Quarter 3 in 2021/22. Data for Quarter 4 is not yet held centrally and information is not held prior to 2019.  2019/202020/212021/22Quarter 178.6%48.7%63.8%Quarter 257.3%37.3%44.2%Quarter 366.1%50.0%58.2%Quarter 458.6%55.8%N/A The following table shows centrally validated quarterly data on the proportion of adults with cystic fibrosis in England who saw a clinical psychologist within the 12 months prior to their latest annual review in each year from 2019/20 to Quarter 3 in 2021/22. Data for Quarter 4 is not yet held centrally and information is not held prior to 2019. 2019/202020/212021/22Quarter 182.2%20.4%33.3%Quarter 272.6%66.8%25.4%Quarter 380.2%59.6%38.5%Quarter 465.3%54.6%N/A

Breastfeeding

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of breastfeeding on a child's educational attainment.

Maggie Throup: There is emerging evidence demonstrating an association between increased breastfeeding and small improvements in cognitive outcomes. However, as the evidence base is currently insufficiently robust to prove causation, no specific assessment has been made.The Government has announced a £50 million investment in breastfeeding support through the £302 million allocated to Family Hubs and Start for Life to enable 75 local authorities to design and develop infant feeding services according to local needs. We will evaluate the impact of Start for Life services and monitor data on longer-term outcomes, including educational attainment.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Dame Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of community diagnostic centres in England offer mammography services.

Edward Argar: There are currently 90 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) operating in England, including supporting spoke sites. Of these, six CDCs or 7% of sites offer diagnostic mammography services.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the published response of 20 April 2022 to the Rt hon Member for South West Surrey, Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, for what reason the Government has decided not to embed (a) early intervention and (b) other types of school and community-based measures for the mental health support of children and young people in statute.

Gillian Keegan: No such decision has been made. We continue to consider the Committee’s recommendations in the context of the development of a long term, cross-Government plan for mental health. We will update our response to the Committee’s recommendations once the final plan is published.

Dementia: Surveys

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a National Patient and Carer Experience Survey for dementia on the same lines as the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey.

Gillian Keegan: We will set out plans for dementia in England for the next 10 years later this year. We are considering how to engage with and gather evidence from people affected by dementia. The strategy will be informed by a range of experts, including people living with dementia and their carers.

Dementia: Diagnosis

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a National Dementia Observatory as recommended by the Alzheimer's Society in its report From diagnosis to end of life: The lived experiences of dementia care, published in October 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Keegan: No formal assessment has been made. However, the National Dementia Intelligence Network has developed the Dementia Profile as a local data illustration tool which maps the dementia pathway. We will set out plans for dementia in England in the next 10 years later this year, which will focus on the specific health and care needs of people living with dementia and their carers.

NHS: Medical Records

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the review by Professor Ben Goldacre entitled Better, broader, safer: using health data for research and analysis, published in April 2022, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a single national data controller for all NHS records.

Gillian Keegan: The review recommended that “a national organisation could become Data Controller for a copy of all NHS patients’ records, to be held only ever in a secure national TRE, where it can be worked on for the purposes of service improvement, academic research, and foundational work into data curation and harmonisation”.On 13 June 2022, we published ‘Data saves lives: reshaping health and social care with data’, which states that we will progress the recommendations relevant to the strategy. The review’s recommendations are being considered with relevant experts and stakeholders.

Free School Meals and Healthy Start Scheme

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will expand access to (a) availability of Healthy Start Vouchers and (b) the eligibility criteria for Free School Meals to include all children facing food insecurity.

Maggie Throup: The eligibility criteria for the Healthy Start scheme is kept under continuous review. There are currently no plans to expand access to and availability of Healthy Start to all children who are facing food insecurity. Free School Meals is the responsibility of the Department for Education.

Members: Correspondence

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to respond to the email sent to his Department by the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton on 23 May 2022.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 20 June 2022.

Paediatrics: Nurses

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will allocate more funding for the employment of infant care nurses in Northern Ireland.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional funding he has allocated to the Devolved nations to reduce the size of healthcare waiting lists.

Edward Argar: Such funding decisions are a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.

NHS: Dental Services

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Units of Dental Activity have been delivered in each of the last five years in each NHS region in England.

Maria Caulfield: The following table shows the number of units of dental activity in thousands by National Health Service commissioning region in each of the last five years. The latest data available is for 2020/21, which demonstrates the impact of the pandemic. 2020/212019/202018/192017/182016/17London3,67311,56312,02711,92412,187South West of England2,3857,3817,9508,12820,630South East of England3,58611,13311,75111,759Midlands4,48615,12515,80624,94425,581East of England2,6858,7319,199North West of England3,23811,33611,93126,14827,041North East of England and Yorkshire3,97013,39414,173 It should be noted that in 2018/19, North of England region was reconfigured into the North West of England and North East of England and Yorkshire. In the same year, the Midlands and East of England were divided into separate regions. In 2017/18, the South of England region was divided into the South West of England and the South East of England.

Medical Equipment: Innovation

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his policy is on the continuation of the MedTech funding mandate beyond the next cohort, which is expected to be authorised for use from April 2023 into 2024-25.

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the MedTech strategy will reassess the role of the MedTech funding mandate.

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what themes or groupings of technologies are being considered for the subsequent MedTech Funding mandate cohorts.

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department uses in informing decision-making around the selected themes as part of the MedTech funding mandate.

Edward Argar: The Government supports the continuation of the MedTech Funding Mandate (MTFM) policy beyond the next cohort from April 2023 to 2024/2025. The Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) monitor the pipeline of technologies receiving the relevant NICE guidance which meet the MTFM criteria. The AAC can modify the policy eligibility criteria to ensure that the policy continues to achieve its objectives. There are no current plans for the Medical Technologies (MedTech) strategy to reassess the role of the MTFM.The MTFM’s current policy criteria states that technologies must be effective, as demonstrated through positive NICE Medical Technology Guidance or Diagnostic Guidance. Technologies must also be cost saving, with NICE’s modelling demonstrating a net saving within three years and affordable to the National Health Service, with the gross cost impact not exceeding £20 million. While groups and themes may then be identified from the technologies which meet these criteria, they are not a pre-requisite. The selection currently supports only those technologies applicable in secondary care based on the NHS Standard Contract and the National Tariff Payment System. The AAC also consults additional experts on the clinical utility and benefits of potential technologies.

Learning Disability: Mental Health

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to help improve the mental wellbeing of people with learning disabilities who experienced isolation during the covid-19 outbreak.

Gillian Keegan: We have commissioned the University of Warwick and Manchester Metropolitan University to undertake a study into the impact of the pandemic on people with learning disabilities. This study monitored the experiences of people with a learning disability throughout the pandemic, to improve our understanding of the impact on the wellbeing and lives of people with a learning disability. In addition to the expansion of National Health Service mental health services through the NHS Long Term Plan, the Government provided more than £34 million to organisations supporting those experiencing loneliness during the pandemic. The Government also updated the ‘Let’s Talk Loneliness’ campaign and established a new Tackling Loneliness Network of private, public and charity sector organisations.

Meat: Novel Foods

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that regulatory approval is granted to safe, cultivated meat production in the UK.

Maggie Throup: Cultivated meat is considered a novel food and is therefore subject to an approval process. When a food business submits a novel food application, it will be assessed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), with Food Standards Scotland (FSS). If the FSA, FSS and Ministers are satisfied the food is safe and appropriate for the market in Great Britain, the food will be approved. At this stage, the FSA and FSS have not received any applications for cultured meat products.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Miriam Cates: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the evidential basis is (a) for the inclusion of covid-19 vaccinations for children in the recommended list of NHS vaccinations, (b) that demonstrates the roll out of covid-19 vaccination for children provides long-term protection against disease, (c) that demonstrates covid-19 infection presents a substantial risk to children and (d) that risks to children associated with covid-19 vaccination are outweighed by benefits of vaccination.

Maggie Throup: On 16 February 2022, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised a non-urgent offer of the Pfizer vaccine should be made to children aged five to 11 years old who are not in a clinical risk group. The JCVI considers this advice as a one-off response to pandemic rather than part of the routine vaccination schedule. NHS.UK includes the offer of COVID-19 vaccination for this age group on its vaccination schedule information to raise awareness with the public.Vaccine-induced protection against severe disease, hospitalisation and death is expected to be maintained for a longer period than protection against mild disease in children, as evidenced in the United Kingdom data for adults. Most children aged five to 11 years old who are not in a COVID-19 clinical risk group are at extremely low risk of developing severe disease with the majority experiencing asymptomatic or mild disease following infection.The JCVI’s statement concludes that the potential health benefits of vaccination are greater than the potential health risks. Vaccination of children aged five to 11 years old who are not in a clinical risk group is expected to reduce the small number of hospitalisations and paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome temporally associated with COVID-19 cases. The extent of these benefits is dependent on the timing and severity of any future wave of infection.

Breast Cancer: Diagnosis

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of patients are diagnosed with breast cancer at stage 4 (a) in the Borough of Halton and (b) on average in England.

Maria Caulfield: This information is not held in the format requested. However, the standardised incidence rate for new female breast cancers diagnosed between 2014 and 2018 in the Halton local authority area is 102.2. In 2019, of 47,860 breast cancers diagnosed, there were 2,008 diagnosed at stage 4 in England.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Holly Mumby-Croft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve awareness among NHS staff of the (a) symptoms and (b) treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

Gillian Keegan: On 12 May 2022, we announced the intention to develop a cross-Government delivery plan on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) for England, which will include a theme on awareness and the education of staff. The delivery plan will align with the work of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which published a guideline for health and social care professionals on the diagnosis and management of ME/CFS in October 2021 and a guideline implementation statement in May 2022. Whilst NICE guidelines are not mandatory, clinicians and commissioners are expected to take this guidance fully into account and ensure implementation over time. NICE promotes its guidance online and via newsletters and other media.

Older People

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing an older people’s commissioner for England with statutory powers to project and champion older people.

Gillian Keegan: While we have previously considered the merits of an older people’s commissioner, we believe that the duties of such a role are addressed by existing mechanisms in the health and care system in England. These include the Care Quality Commission’s inspections, Healthwatch England and ensuring that all older and vulnerable people have a single named local general practitioner to assist them to navigate the health and care system.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average breast screening uptake is in (a) the Borough of Halton and (b) England.

Maria Caulfield: The information is not held in the format requested. However, in 2020/21, breast screening coverage in people aged 53 to 71 years old in the Halton local authority area was 55.8% and 64.2% for England.

Food: Medical Treatments

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeframe is for the Nutrition Labelling Team to issue a notification letter following a new application of a Food for Special Medical Purposes.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many new Foods for Special Medical Purposes product applications are awaiting notification letters from the Nutrition Labelling Team.

Maggie Throup: The legislation which governs foods for special medical purposes does not stipulate a timeframe for the Department, acting on behalf of the competent authority, to issue a notification letter. This letter confirms a Food Business Operator has notified the competent authority of placing a product on the market in compliance with the legislation.The time taken to process an application and issue a notification letter will vary and may be longer where issues with product compliance with the legislation are identified. In such cases, the Department liaises with the Food Business Operator to ensure areas of non-compliance are addressed. The Department is currently processing 66 Foods for Special Medical Purposes notification applications.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of unusable personal protective equipment acquired by his Department during the covid-19 pandemic was acquired via the High Priority Lane.

Edward Argar: Approximately 3% of personal protective equipment ordered by the Department is considered unusable. Of this, 13% was provided by suppliers processed through the High Priority Lane.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children and young people are on waiting lists for Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services in (a) the UK, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) Barnsley as of 10 June 2022.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many adults are on waiting lists, having been referred by a GP to mental health services in (a) the UK, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) Barnsley as of 10 June 2022.

Gillian Keegan: This information is not held in the format requested as there are no overall waiting time standards. However, waiting times data are available for specific mental health services where a waiting time standard is in place. Data on access to psychological therapies, early intervention in psychosis and children and young people eating disorders is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-mental-health-dashboard/ In February 2022, NHS England and NHS Improvement published the outcomes of the consultation on five new access and waiting time standards for mental health services. We are now working with NHS England and NHS Improvement on the next steps.

Health: Disadvantaged

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timescale is for publishing the White Paper on Health Disparities in England.

Maggie Throup: We have announced our intention to bring forward a health disparities white paper later this year.  We will set out further detail on the timings of its publication in due course.

Females: Health Services

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to ensure alignment between the Women’s Health and Sexual and Reproductive Strategies.

Maggie Throup: Officials are ensuring alignment between the action plans for sexual and reproductive health and women’s health through sharing the evidence gathered during the call for evidence to inform the Women’s Health Strategy. While both strategies will address issues relating to women’s reproductive health, the plans for improving sexual and reproductive health will include broader topics affecting the whole population. Similarly, the Women’s Health Strategy will address a range of issues in addition to reproductive health, such as how health conditions affect men and women differently and research and evidence.

Coronavirus: Medical Treatments

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients in the UK have been treated by covid-19 medicines delivery units.

Maggie Throup: As of 5 June 2022, approximately 47,000 non-hospitalised patients in England have been treated by COVID Medicines Delivery Units (CMDUs). CMDUs are operational in England, with equivalent services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. As of 5 June, approximately 62,000 non-hospitalised patients in the United Kingdom have received COVID-19 treatments through these services.

NHS: Drugs

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role the cost of medication plays in the Government's decision to procure (a) Evusheld, (b) Beblitovimab and (c) other drugs.

Maggie Throup: COVID-19 treatments must be effective against the variants currently circulating in the United Kingdom and receive marketing authorisation prior to procurement. While Evusheld was granted conditional marketing authorisation in March 2022, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency raised uncertainty over the dose needed for protection against the Omicron variant. The UK Health Security Agency is currently undertaking further testing on Evusheld’s efficacy against the Omicron variant. The data for Bebtelovimab shows efficacy against the currently circulating Omicron variants, although the treatment has not received marketing authorisation in the UK.There is currently no funding allocated for these treatments. However, funding for additional procurement of novel treatments is considered on a case-by-case basis, as guided by clinical need and subject to business cases and due process.

Mental Health Services: Domestic Abuse

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to assess the (a) length of waiting times for women domestic abuse survivors needing to access specialist mental health support and (b) levels of partnership working between (i) health bodies and (ii) specialist domestic abuse services; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Keegan: We have no current plans to do so as NHS England and NHS Improvement do not collect the information requested.However, the Health and Social Care Act 2022 requires integrated care boards to devise plans to address the particular needs of the victims of domestic and sexual abuse, whether they are children or adults. NHS England and NHS Improvement have committed to ensuring that guidance is available to integrated care boards to promote a collaborative approach to service delivery for victims and survivors of domestic abuse.

Bebtelovimab

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Whether the mAbs drug Beblitovimab is under consideration for purchase by his Department.

Maggie Throup: The Antivirals and Therapeutics Taskforce is working with the RAPID-C19 Collaborative to review clinical trials data for COVID-19 treatments. Bebtelovimab and other monoclonal antibodies are being reviewed as part of this process. However, Bebtelovimab is not currently under consideration for procurement as it has yet to receive regulatory approval for use in the United Kingdom.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of covid-19 vaccines procured by the UK Government have reached their expiry date without being used as of 13 June 2022.

Maggie Throup: As of 13 June 2022, 929,040 doses or 11,613 packs of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine have reached the expiry date without being used. This accounts for 1.62% of the total AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine volume procured by the Government and held by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for storage and distribution. No other COVID-19 vaccine has expired whilst under the ownership of the UKHSA.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date the (a) application under the vaccine damage payments scheme with Reference VAD 7859 was received and (b) applicant's medical records (i) requested and (ii) returned; and what estimate he has made of when a decision on that case will be made.

Maggie Throup: The NHS Business Services Authority is updating all claimants directly on progress of their cases and working with the supplier to progress cases. We are unable to provide the specific information requested as it relates to personal information provided in confidence which could identify a claimant.

Tobacco: Research

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Advancing Our Health: Prevention in the 2020s Green Paper published on 22 July 2019, if he will recommit to undertaking a call for independent research on heated tobacco products.

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a traffic light system for the relative health impacts on tobacco and nicotine products.

Maggie Throup: The next Vaping in England report, commissioned by the Department, includes a chapter on heated tobacco products. It reviews data on use of these products, the evidence for use in smoking cessation and the exposure of users to major toxicants. The report will be published later this summer. In addition, a systematic review on heated tobacco was published by the Cochrane Collaboration earlier this year, which is available at the following link:https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD013790.pub2/fullNo assessment has been made for the introduction of a traffic light system for the relative health impacts on tobacco and nicotine products.

Evusheld

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2022 to Question 1109 on Evusheld, what his planned timetable is for (a) receiving advice from clinicians on the most appropriate option for the use of Evusheld and (b) procuring that treatment for use within the NHS.

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for making a decision on the use of Evusheld following completion of UKHSA testing.

Maggie Throup: While we expect to receive clinical advice shortly, we are currently unable to confirm a specific timetable.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on ensuring the universal restart of spirometry and FeNO testing in primary care prior to the establishment of Community Diagnostic Centres.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase primary care support for people with asthma and other lung conditions.

Gillian Keegan: The National Health Service has been asked to restore asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) registers and spirometry checks for adults and children to pre-pandemic levels in 2022/23. The Quality Outcomes Framework for 2022/23 includes respiratory indicators for the diagnosis of asthma and COPD, which was re-instated in April 2022.Through the GP Contract, general practitioners are incentivised to maintain a register of patients with asthma aged six years old or over. This includes a record of spirometry and one other objective test, such as FeNO or reversibility or variability, between three and six months after diagnosis and within six months of registration for those newly registered with a diagnosis of asthma but no record of objective tests performed at the date of registration.NHS England and NHS Improvement have established 13 respiratory clinical networks to support pharmacists in Primary Care Networks to undertake a range of medicine reviews. This includes advising patients on the correct use of inhalers and contributing to multidisciplinary working.

Coronavirus: Medical Treatments

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has put in place a monitoring system to test the effectiveness of covid-19 treatments currently available.

Maggie Throup: NHS England and NHS Improvement collect data on treatments for patients hospitalised due to COVID-19, hospital-onset COVID-19 and non-hospitalised patients treated through COVID Medicines Delivery Units. Data is collected on the numbers of treatments prescribed and administered and a summary at national and regional level is published weekly at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-therapeutics-antivirals-and-neutralising-monoclonal-antibodies/NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to work with the research community to monitor observational data and gain further insight into the impact of treatments on outcomes. In addition, the PANORAMIC study of novel COVID-19 antivirals is expected to publish outcomes of its research in due course. The study is collecting further data on how these treatments work in the United Kingdom where the majority of the population is vaccinated.

Health Services: Local Enterprise Partnerships

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing Local Enterprise Partnerships to promote locally-tailored health-firs’ programmes.

Maggie Throup: The Government is encouraging the integration of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in Mayoral Combined Authorities, the Greater London Authority and County Deals, where these exist. Where a devolution arrangement does not yet exist, LEPs will continue to support local businesses and economy. The Department does not have a role in establishing LEPs.Guidance published by the former Public Health England sets out how LEPs can use the leadership role to tackle worklessness and promote connections between work and health, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-work-worklessness-and-economic-growth-lep-briefingA focus on managing health conditions of people on health-related welfare benefits, before addressing employability, may be part of a wider approach to work and health in which LEP may have a role.

Health Services: Ethnic Groups

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Dr Ruth Watkinson and Dr Alex Turner’s research from the University of Manchester, whether routine monitoring of ethnic disparities in healthcare and potential causing factors have been included as part of performance measurement of local health systems.

Maggie Throup: The Health and Care Act 2022 provides for statutory arrangements for integrated care systems, comprising an integrated care board (ICB) and an integrated care partnership.ICBs have a range of new duties on health inequalities under the Act and must have due regard to the need to reduce inequalities in access to and outcomes from health services. NHS England is required to conduct an annual performance assessment of how well each ICB has discharged its functions, including a regard to the duties on health inequalities. NHS England’s ‘2022/23 priorities and operational planning guidance’ sets the expectation that ICB and trust board performance packs are disaggregated by deprivation and ethnicity and NHS England and NHS Improvement are using this approach in performance reporting to its own boards. In addition, using data and analytics to redesign care pathways and measure outcomes to improve equity of access for underserved communities was a specific priority in the guidance.

Health Education: North of England

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Dr Luke Munford’s recommendations in The University of Manchester’s On Productivity publication, in what way his Department has used (a) Health and Wellbeing Boards and (b) the emerging NHS integrated care systems to increase health promotion and prevention services in the north.

Maggie Throup: Integrated care systems will be placed on a statutory footing from 1 July 2022 and will bring together a range of health and care organisations in the local area on aims such as tackling health disparities and improving population health. Local Health and Wellbeing Boards will continue to assess the health and care needs of the population in the development of integrated care strategies. Work to devise and implement those strategies and resulting plans will also be supported by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ regional teams.

Monkeypox: Health Services

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is planning to take steps to provide support to local authority-commissioned sexual health services to (a) identify, (b) treat and (c) vaccinate people infected with monkeypox.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency (UKSHA) is supporting local authorities and system partners in containing the monkeypox outbreak, including through guidance on the identification and management of infected cases. Whilst sexual health services play an important role in the identification of cases, it does not treat or vaccinate individuals.The UKHSA is advising individuals who are concerned to contact NHS 111 or local sexual health services for an assessment. In most cases, the illness is mild and does not require treatment, although some individuals may be treated within High Consequence Infectious Disease beds within the National Health Service. Vaccination is not advised for those infected.

Question

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of people who are living with Parkinson's disease by (a) age and (b) gender as of 7 June 2022.

Gillian Keegan: No specific estimate has been made. However, the National Health Service estimates that that one in 500 people in the United Kingdom are affected by Parkinson’s disease, with men slightly more likely to be affected than women and symptoms most likely to develop after the age of 50 years old.

Disease Control

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether UK-based organisations can access the EDLSNet notification system following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and UKHSA on 1 December 2021.

Maggie Throup: The European Legionnaires' Disease Surveillance Network notification system is one of the EpiPulse surveillance systems, which integrates several surveillance systems which were previously independent. This facilitates collection, analysis and dissemination of indicator- and event-based surveillance data on infectious diseases and associated health issues, including global epidemic intelligence, whole-genome sequencing, and health determinants.Appointed experts from the European Union, the European Economic Area (EEA) and non-EU countries within the European Centre for Disease Control’s (ECDC) cooperation framework, and international organisations can access the portal to report and analyse cases of infectious diseases and pathogens which may threaten public health in the EU and the EEA. The United Kingdom has a nominated EpiPulse Focal Point to oversee and manage access as a non-EU country within ECDC’s cooperation framework.

Disease Control

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish full details of the memorandum of understanding aimed to strengthen the collaboration between the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and UKHSA on matters of communicable diseases prevention and control, signed on 1 December 2021.

Maggie Throup: On 1 December 2021, the UK Health Security Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control announced a memorandum of understanding to strengthen the collaboration between the two agencies on communicable diseases prevention and control. Further details on the cooperation activities and areas of mutual interest are set out at the following links:https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/news-events/ecdc-signs-memorandum-understanding-uk-health-security-agencyhttps://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukhsa-signs-memorandum-of-understanding-with-ecdc

Genito-urinary Medicine

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date the new Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy will be published.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timeframe is for publishing a monitoring and evaluation framework for the forthcoming sexual and reproductive health strategy.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the forthcoming sexual and reproductive health strategy will tackle drug resistant sexually transmitted infections.

Maggie Throup: We will set out plans for sexual and reproductive health later this year. This will include monitoring outcomes and reducing the harms associated with sexually transmitted infections, including antimicrobial resistance.

Coronavirus: Medical Treatments

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the US FDA's withdrawal of authorisation for the use of Sotrovimab for treatment of covid-19 on 5 April 2022, what steps he is taking to ensure the (a) stringency and (b) consistency of his Department's reviews of (i) Evusheld and (ii) other covid-19 treatments.

Maggie Throup: The Antivirals and Therapeutics Taskforce engages with other nations to share learning on the use, deployment and evaluation of COVID-19 therapeutics and antivirals which may inform policy. The UK Health Security Agency is monitoring the effectiveness of all COVID-19 therapeutics, including sotrovimab. The RAPID C-19 collaborative, the National Health Service and other relevant experts provide advice to the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers on whether treatments should be recommended for deployment, taking account of all available evidence.The Department is currently reviewing prophylaxis and the efficacy of Evusheld. The Therapeutics Clinical Review Panel provides advice on the appropriate patient cohorts for potential new COVID-19 therapies, including preventative treatments. Final clinical policies and eligibility would be proposed by the NHS and agreed by the UK Chief Medical Officers.

Food: Advertising

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2022 to Question 9876, on Food: Advertising, what recent assessment his Department has made of the extent of (a) the additional costs to businesses of HFSS placement restrictions and (b) the cost to consumers if businesses pass on those costs.

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on consumers of businesses substituting products high in fat, salt and sugar in prominent supermarket locations for alternatives as a result of HFSS placement restrictions.

Maggie Throup: The costs to businesses were considered in the Government’s impact assessment for the placement restrictions, published in December 2020. The impact assessment shows that the costs for businesses are expected to be £423 million per year, with transition costs in the first year expected to be £47 million. The impact assessment of the location restrictions shows that while there is a possibility of businesses passing on the cost of the regulations to consumers, due to the competitive pressures of retailers it is unlikely this would occur.We recognise the costs associated with implementing this policy. However, the costs of obesity to individuals, society and the National Health Service are considerable and the benefits from reducing calorie intakes across the population are substantial. We are encouraging retailers to adjust the balance of promotions towards healthier options and maximise the availability of healthier products available on promotion. The impact assessment shows that this policy is expected to deliver significant health benefits of £58 billion and additionally provide savings to the NHS of over £4 billion, over a 25-year period.

Influenza: Vaccination

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the Government's reasoning is for its policy of annually vaccinating children aged between 2 and 10 years against flu; and if he will publish the cost benefit analysis for this policy.

Maggie Throup: This policy is based on the recommendation of the independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Flu vaccination provides individual protection to the children who receive the vaccine. As children have a role in the transmission of flu, vaccination reduces the likelihood of passing on the virus to others who may be at higher risk from flu-related complications. This reduces the number of flu-related general practitioner consultations and hospital admissions for children and the wider community.The JCVI’s statement on the extension of the flu vaccination programme to children and the impact and cost-effectiveness analysis used to inform its recommendation is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jcvi-statement-on-the-routine-annual-influenza-vaccination-programme

Social Services: Finance

Rob Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress the Government has made on its stated commitment that no person needing care should be forced to sell their home to pay for it.

Gillian Keegan: From October 2023, the new £86,000 cap and higher capital limits will mean that more people will be able to preserve more of their assets if they need care.When assessing the contribution towards care, housing assets are only considered if the individual is receiving care in a residential home and no eligible adult continues to live in the residence. Where accessing these assets is required to pay for care, a Deferred Payment Agreement is available, with any costs deducted from the estate after death. This will ensure that no-one will need to sell their home to pay for their care in their lifetime.

Unispace Global: Protective Clothing

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the value for money of purchases of PPE from Unispace Global Ltd; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: Contracts between the Department and Unispace Global Ltd were novated to Unispace Health Products LLP in December 2020, which is now known as Sante Global LLP. We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive. However, the Department has established a contract dissolution team to maximise the value obtained from contracts for personal protective equipment.

Monkeypox: Health Services and Screening

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of accessibility of (a) testing and (b) healthcare for monkeypox for people at risk of infection from community spread in the UK since 4 May 2022.

Maggie Throup: Since the first case of monkeypox was identified on 4 May 2022, the UK Health Security Agency has ensured that the availability and accessibility of testing and healthcare provision is kept under review. This includes working with the National Health Service, public health teams and sexual health providers to ensure an effective response to the incident through guidance for testing and clinical management. The ongoing review of relevant guidance ensures that individuals, including those from disproportionately affected communities, can access the appropriate healthcare services, such as testing and limit further transmission in at risk groups.

Coronavirus: Death Certificates and Industrial Diseases

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral statement of the Minister for Vaccines and Public Health of January 26 2022, Official Report, column 390WH, when the correspondence regarding covid-19 death certificates and industrial disease will be sent.

Maggie Throup: I replied to the hon. Member on 16 June 2022.

Evusheld

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what timeframe UKHSA are working to in order to assess the effectiveness of Evusheld against the Omicron variant of covid-19.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency continues to undertake further testing on Evusheld’s effectiveness against the Omicron variants. However, we are currently unable to confirm a timeframe for this process.

Immunosuppression: Coronavirus

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many immunocompromised people have (a) been hospitalised with and (b) died from covid-19 since the MHRA authorised Evusheld for use in the UK.

Maggie Throup: The information requested is not held centrally.On 17 March 2022, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency granted a conditional marketing authorisation for Evusheld. However, this authorisation outlined uncertainties for the treatment, including the length of protection and the dose required for efficacy against the Omicron variant.

Attorney General

Waste Disposal: Crime

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Attorney General, how many employees of the Serious Fraud Office were deployed to combat money laundering created through waste crime as of 15 June 2022.

Alex Chalk: The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) does not structure its employees around particular categories of financial crime and therefore does not hold data on the number of employees deployed to combat money laundering created through waste crime.

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs

Rob Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school places for children with Special Educational Needs his Department has made available in each of the (a) last and (b) next five years.

Will Quince: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The department does not collect or hold capacity data for special schools. As special schools sit outside the Admissions Code and mainstream admissions arrangements, there is currently no official methodology for determining a special school’s capacity. Furthermore, if a school is named in a pupil’s education, health and care plan, that school must admit that pupil without regard to the notional capacity of the school.The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. This includes places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The government does not currently collect data centrally on available or planned SEND provision, but is continuing to work with local authorities to better understand demand for SEND provision as it considers how it can best support the sector going forwards.In March 2022, the department announced high needs provision capital allocations amounting to over £1.4 billion of new investment. This funding is to support local authorities to deliver new places for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years and improve existing provision for children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. This funding forms part of the £2.6 billion the department is investing between 2022 and 2025 and represents a significant, transformational investment in new high needs provision.

Children: Social Services

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on allocating funding to the children's social care system in response to the independent review of children's social care.

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendation set out in the independent review of children's social care that the care system should shift its focus to an early intervention model as opposed to crisis help.

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to ensure that the young people with experience of being in care will be included in the Care Review process at implementation stage.

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the funding recommendations set out in the independent review of children’s social care.

Will Quince: The department has committed to publishing a detailed and ambitious implementation strategy later this year which will detail the steps we are taking to improve children’s social care. As the strategy is developed, the department will consider the recommendations of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care carefully, including cost implications and where legislation might be required.The department is committed to keeping the views and interests of those with lived experience at the heart of our work as we develop the implementation strategy. The new National Implementation Board will include people with their own experience of the care system, alongside those with experience of leading transformational change.

Department for Education: Public Expenditure

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the (a) highest ten areas of programme expenditure under the exclusive control of her Department during the spending review period 2022-23 to 2024-25 and (b) amount of programme expenditure allocated to each area during that period.

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the (a) highest ten areas of cross-departmental programme expenditure to which her Department plans to contribute over the spending review period 2022-23 to 2024-25 and (b) amount of programme expenditure allocated to each area over that period.

Michelle Donelan: The Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 settlement provided programme budgets for the department of £76.5 billion for the 2022/23 financial year, £78.7 billion for the 2023/24 financial year and £80.1 billion for the 2024/25 financial year. The ten highest areas of programme expenditure for the 2022/23 financial year are in the table below. Departmental expenditure is subject to an annual planning exercise. For this reason, we are only able to confirm funding figures for the 2022/23 financial year.Government departments routinely transfer funding where there are shared priority programmes. Across the spending review period, the department will jointly deliver programmes with other government departments such as the Multiply programme to improve adult literacy and creating a network of family hubs to improve access to start for life services.Further information on departmental and cross-government funding can be found within the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 document, which is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1043689/Budget_AB2021_Web_Accessible.pdf.Ten highest areas of forecast department programme expenditure, 2022/23 financial year Schools block of the dedicated schools grant£40.5 billionHigh needs block of the dedicated schools grant£9.0 billion16-19 education and T-Levels£6.4 billionEarly years block of the dedicated schools grant£3.6 billionPupil premium£2.7 billionApprenticeships£2.5 billionAdult education budget£1.4 billionStrategic Priorities Grant£1.4 billionSchools supplementary grant (supporting schools with costs of the Health and Social Care Levy)£1.2 billionEducation recovery programmes£1.2 billion

Overseas Students: Hong Kong

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support students from Hong Kong in the UK; and if he will extend home fees status to British National Overseas students.

Michelle Donelan: To qualify for home fee status in England, a person must have settled status or a recognised connection to the UK. This includes persons who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement, have long residence in this country or who have been granted international protection by the Home Office.Subject to meeting the normal eligibility requirements, Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) status holders will be able to qualify for home fee status once they have acquired settled status in the UK, as is the case for the majority of persons who are on a five-year route to settlement.Universities are autonomous institutions and are responsible for setting their own fees consistently with any applicable regulations.

Students: Loans

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to change student loan eligibility for young people who do not obtain GCSEs in English and Maths.

Michelle Donelan: In the higher education policy statement and reform consultation, which closed on 6 May, the department started a conversation on the principle of a minimum eligibility requirement (MER) for access to student finance for those intending to study a degree-level qualification.The department intends that this policy would apply to students accessing English student finance for full-time level 6 study in the UK. This is so that publicly funded access to university courses is directed to those students who are more likely to benefit from level 6 study.We have consulted on a MER set at either two E grades at A level, or a grade 4 in GCSE English and maths. We have also consulted on proposed exemptions from a MER, including for part-time and mature students, and, for a MER set at GCSE (grade 4 in English and maths), for students who have gone on to achieve CCC at A level (or equivalent).A decision has not yet been made on whether to introduce a MER. The department is considering consultation responses and will publish the government's response in due course.

Students: Loans

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of student maintenance loans; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional financial support his Department provided to higher education students.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the impact of inflation on the adequacy of the amount offered by student maintenance loans.

Michelle Donelan: Ministers consider changes to support arrangements for students in higher education (HE) on an annual basis. The department is currently reviewing options for uprating maximum grants and loans for the 2023/24 academic year.Upfront loans are available as a contribution towards undergraduate students’ living costs while attending university, with the most support available for students from the lowest income backgrounds.Maximum grants and loans for living costs were increased by 3.1% this academic year, 2021/22, and the department has announced that they will increase by a further 2.3% in the 2022/23 academic year. In addition, we are freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By the 2024/25 academic year, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years.In the department’s guidance to the Office for Students (OfS) on funding for the 2021/22 financial year, we made clear that the OfS should protect the £256 million allocation for the student premiums to support disadvantaged students and those that need additional help. The 2022/23 financial year guidance to the OfS confirms universities will continue to be able to support students in hardship through the student premium. Ministers’ Strategic Priorities Grant guidance letter to the OfS asks that the OfS looks to protect the student premium in cash terms for the 2022/23 financial year.Alongside this, the government is also making available discretionary funding of £144 million to support to support those ineligible for council tax, including students, vulnerable people and individuals on low incomes.The government has also announced that households will get £400 of support with their energy bills through an expansion of the Energy Bills Support Scheme. As well as doubling the £200 of support announced earlier this year, the full £400 payment will now be made as a grant, which will not be recovered through higher bills in future years.The department has secured up to £75 million to deliver a National Scholarship Scheme which will support high-achieving, disadvantaged students to reach their full potential whilst studying in HE. This scholarship aims to address the ongoing financial barriers that can restrict high-achieving, disadvantaged students from achieving their full academic potential whilst studying in HE and is in addition to the significant sector interventions already in place.

Schools: Transport

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding his Department made available for school transport for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in the academic years (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20, (d) 2020-21 and (e) 2021-22.

Mr Robin Walker: The government does not provide a specific amount to local authorities for spending on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) transport. Funding for children’s services, including SEND transport, is part of the wider local government finance settlement, administered by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The department does hold Section 251 data which covers both national and local authority special educational needs transport expenditure. This is published on GOV.UK at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure/2020-21.The gross national expenditure for the 2017/18 financial year to the 2020/21 financial year can be found in the below table. Data for the 2021/22 financial year is not yet available.National Gross SEN Home to School Transport Expenditure, 2017-18 FY to 2020-21 FY (based on Section 251 outturn data) Pre-16Post-162017/18£662.4 million£106.5 million2018/19£726.8 million£126.6 million2019/20£823.0 million£127.7 million2020/21£829.2 million£130.2 million

Arts: Secondary Education

Rob Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to introduce an arts premium to fund enrichment activities in secondary schools.

Mr Robin Walker: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The department is committed to high-quality education for all pupils, and the arts and music are integral to this. With the significant impact of COVID-19 on children’s learning, the department’s priorities have been to focus on education recovery in the recent Spending Review. The government remains committed to the ambitions in the Plan for Cultural Education published in 2013 and will give consideration for a future arts premium in due course.In recognition of the merit of these subjects and how they contribute to a broad and balanced education in and out of school settings, the department will continue to invest around £115 million per annum in cultural education over the next three years, through music, arts, and heritage programmes.The above funding is on top of core schools funding. The department has already committed to a real-terms per pupils increase in core schools funding, amounting to a £7 billion increase in the 2024/25 financial year compared with the 2021/22 financial year and nearly £5 billion in education recovery. This should support state-funded schools to provide a broad, ambitious curriculum, which includes cultural education and the arts.The department has also committed to the publication of a Cultural Education Plan in 2023, working with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England.

Pupils and Students: Absenteeism

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that children are not absent from (a) school and (b) higher education.

Mr Robin Walker: To ensure families receive support for school attendance, the department recently published new guidance setting out expectations for schools, trusts and local authorities to work together to improve pupil attendance.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has established an alliance of national leaders from education, children’s social care, and other relevant services to work together to raise school attendance and reduce persistent absence. The Attendance Alliance Group has pledged to take action to remove barriers preventing children attending school. The department has also run a number of webinars for schools, multi-academy trusts (MATs) and local authorities to share effective practice in relation to attendance.The department’s team of attendance advisers play an important role, by working closely with local authorities and MATs with higher levels of persistent absence to review their current practice and support them to develop plans to improve.The department has been working to establish a better and more timely flow of pupil level attendance data across schools, trusts, and local authorities. Most state-funded schools across the country have now signed up to this project. This will help those involved to identify pupils who need most support with their attendance.High levels of student engagement and a sense of belonging are associated with students performing well at university and of reducing the chance of them dropping out. A recent joint study by Pearson and higher education outlet Wonkhe showed students with the sense of belonging associated with high engagement are likely to enjoy more academic success.To support learners in higher education, Student Support Champion duties will include encouraging universities to use technologies such as customer relationship management systems. These can flag the early warning signs of those who are struggling or becoming less engaged, by monitoring data such as attendance and library collections.It is important that learners feel supported to make informed post-16 decisions on the appropriate route for them. The department’s reforms in the post-16 area, and on support for careers advice in all schools, seek to achieve this.

Pre-school Education: South West

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an estimate of the number of nursery school places that were available in (a) North Swindon, (b) South Swindon, (c) Bournemouth East, (d) Bournemouth West, (e) Bristol East, (f) Bristol North West, (g) Bristol South, (h) Bristol West, (i) Exeter, (j) Filton and Bradley Stoke, (k) Kingswood and (l) Stroud constituency in (i) May 1997, (ii) May 2010, (iii) December 2019 and (iv) June 2022.

Will Quince: The department continues to monitor the sufficiency of childcare. However, it does not hold figures on the number of places available in nursery classes in schools.According to findings from the 2021 Childcare and early years providers survey, 7 in 10 group-based providers reported having spare places in their full day provision and almost half of childminders (49%) reported having spare capacity on average across the week. The survey is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2021.The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children, and Ofsted data currently shows that the number of places offered by providers on the Early Years Register has remained broadly stable since August 2015. The department also discusses sufficiency of provision in regular conversations with local authorities. Local authorities are not currently reporting any substantial sufficiency issues and we have not seen a substantial number of parents unable to secure a childcare place.

Students: LGBT+ People

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure LGBT+ students are protected from bullying and discrimination within the education system.

Will Quince: The government has sent a clear message that bullying should never be tolerated, and we are committed to supporting schools to tackle it. The department provides advice for schools, which outlines schools’ responsibilities. Published guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying.The department is providing over £2 million of funding, between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2023, to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes projects targeting bullying of particular groups, such as those who are victims of hate-related bullying and homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.We are also making sure that all children in England learn about respectful relationships, in-person and online, as part of new mandatory Relationships, Sex and Health Education.The department has published ‘Respectful School Communities’, a self-review and signposting tool to support schools to develop a whole-school approach which promotes respect and discipline, available here: https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.Further and Higher Education providers, have clear responsibilities, including under the Equality Act 2010, and should have robust policies and procedures in place to comply with the law, to investigate and swiftly address reports of harassment. Ofsted's inspection framework for further education providers looks at whether there is "an environment in which learners feel safe because staff and learners do not accept bullying, harassment or discrimination. Staff deal with any issues quickly, consistently, and effectively".Following on from the publication of its Statement of Expectations on harassment and sexual misconduct in April 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and my right hon. Friend, the Minister for Higher and Further Education, wrote to the Office for Students to ask that as part of their next steps, they consider options for connecting the statement into conditions of registration. This would mean that providers could be fined failing to take their duties seriously.

Children in Care: Location

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps a (a) parent or (b) member of the public can take to ensure a further assessment of a young person's placement by a local authority when that person is concerned that the location of the placement poses a risk of harm.

Will Quince: All placement decisions in respect of looked after children are subject to the duty set out in Section 22(3) of the Children Act 1989, including that the placement is the most appropriate way to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare. Such decisions are reviewed regularly, as part of the child’s ongoing planning and case reviews, where the child’s family, carers and professionals should come together to ensure the plan continues to be in the child’s best interests.Outside of these reviews, individuals can contact the child’s social worker or Independent Reviewing Officer if they have any concerns around the location of a child’s placement. Ofsted, as the regulator, is best placed to consider any concerns regarding the placement itself.

Children: Disability

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will take steps to ensure that the National Implementation Board for children’s social care works with the proposed National SEND Delivery Board, as outlined in the SEND Review, to meet the social care needs of families with disabled children.

Will Quince: The department is committed to aligning our implementation strategy for children’s social care following the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care with the reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities system that we are currently consulting on through the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper.Ultimately, the department wants to build a coherent system that has the best interests of families and vulnerable children at its heart. We therefore recognise the importance of the National Implementation Board for children’s social care working closely with the proposed National SEND Delivery Board. We will set out more detail on plans for both boards in due course.

Classroom Assistants and Teachers: Training

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department collects data on the number of (a) teachers and (b) teaching assistants in each constituency who have undergone autism-related training.

Will Quince: The department does not collect data on the number of teachers and teaching assistants in each constituency who have undergone autism-related training.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 7 September 2020 to Question 82218 on Prisoners' Release: Wales, what was the accommodation status of people who had an origin address in Wales and left prison in (a) 2020 and (b) 2021.

Victoria Atkins: The latest available information is shown in the table below.Offenders released in 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 by Accommodation on Release, where the offender had an original address in Wales. Jan - Dec 2020Jan - Mar 2021Settled Accommodation1561340Other Housed511115Bail/Probation Accommodation32568Homeless, Not Rough Sleeping22637Rough Sleeping364Unknown870134(1) A release is defined as a release from prison where the prisoner has finished serving the custodial term of their sentence(s) and excludes:Persons submitted to custody for non-payment of fineReleases to hospitalDeported prisoners from Home Office Immigration Removal CentresReleases following recall after release on licence, except occasions where; (i) where the offender has committed a new offence and is committed to custody for a new sentence and the subsequent release date falls after the sentence expiry date of the original sentence, or (ii) where upon release the offender is subject to the licence condition of the new custodial sentence.(2) Where an offender was released multiple times within the same period only the last such release was counted.Settled Accommodation: (i) Any accommodation that provides a permanent independent housing solution including: As a house holder/owner; Rental Accommodation (Tenant) – private or social rental; Living with Friends and Family (Settled) - the person can reside in that home and is able to return to that home; or living with a friend with a bedroom available for the person’s use and access to domestic facilities; a caravan or boat that is viewed by the Person as their permanent home. (ii) Supported Housing - regardless of the duration of residency. (iii) Long Term Residential Healthcare.Other Housed: Refers to individuals living in transient/temporary accommodation that does not provide a long-term solution to housing need. This was previously known as “Other unsettled accommodation”Bail/Probation Accommodation: Includes probation Approved Premises (AP), Bail Accommodation Support Services (BASS) accommodation, Community Accommodation Services (CAS3), and accommodation provided by the Home Office Immigration Enforcement Service.Homeless – not rough sleeping: The individual does not have any accommodation they are entitled to occupy, or they have accommodation they are entitled to occupy but they cannot be reasonably expected to occupy it for any reason. Either: the individual occupies a property with no legal authority or permission to do so; Or the individual may reside in night shelters, emergency hostels, direct access hostels or campsites.Rough Sleeping: The individual does not have any accommodation they are entitled to occupy, or they have accommodation they are entitled to occupy but they cannot be reasonably expected to occupy it for any reason. The individual sleeps in open air (such as on the streets, in tents, doorways, parks, bus shelters or encampments) or in other places not designed for habitation (such as stairwells, barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats or stations).Unknown: The accommodation status is unknown (either because the status is awaiting assessment, or no status is recorded, or there are multiple statuses, or due to other errors in the record, or there was no match between NOMIS and Delius)Offenders were considered to have an original address in Wales based on the first of their most recent stated Home Address, Reception Address, Discharge Address, Court Address, or Next of Kin Address. Less than 1% of releases did not have any address information recorded, and have been excluded from this analysis.

Theft: Remand in Custody

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders were held on remand awaiting trial for theft; and for what length of time those offenders were held on remand in each prison in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

James Cartlidge: The number of prisoners who were held on untried remand for alleged theft and the length of time those prisoners were held on remand, in each prison in England and Wales, as at 30 June in each of the last five years, is shown in the attached tables.When the court is making a remand decision, the Bail Act 1976 provides a presumption in favour of bail, recognising that a person should not be deprived of their liberty unless necessary for the protection of the public or the delivery of justice.The courts decide on a case-by-case basis whether a defendant presents such a bail risk as to warrant custody. Bail can only be refused where there is justification, as prescribed in Schedule 1 to the Bail Act, such as substantial grounds for believing that the defendant, would abscond, commit further offences, interfere with witnesses or otherwise obstruct the course of justice.The overall remand population has increased in recent years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Government is committed to supporting the recovery of the courts and we continue to take action to tackle the impact the pandemic has had on the system. We have extended 30 Nightingale courtrooms beyond the end of March 2022 and have again removed the limit on the number of days the Crown Court can sit this financial year. To secure enough capacity to sit at the required levels in 2022/23 and beyond, we are also expanding our plans for judicial recruitment.19623_table (xlsx, 21.3KB)

Sexual Offences: Remand in Custody

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish figures on the (a) number of offenders who were held on remand awaiting trial for sexual offences and (b) length of time those offenders were held on remand for, in each prison in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

James Cartlidge: The number of prisoners who were held on untried remand for alleged sexual offences and the length of time those prisoners were held on remand, in each prison in England and Wales, as at 30 June in each of the last five years, is shown in the attached tables.When the court is making a remand decision, the Bail Act 1976 provides a presumption in favour of bail, recognising that a person should not be deprived of their liberty unless necessary for the protection of the public or the delivery of justice.The courts that decide on a case-by-case basis whether a defendant presents such a bail risk as to warrant custody. Bail can only be refused where there is justification, as prescribed in Schedule 1 to the Bail Act, such as substantial grounds for believing that the defendant, would abscond, commit further offences, interfere with witnesses or otherwise obstruct the course of justice.The overall remand population has increased in recent years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Government is committed to supporting the recovery of the courts and we continue to take action to tackle the impact the pandemic has had on the system. We have extended 30 Nightingale courtrooms beyond the end of March 2022 and have again removed the limit on the number of days the Crown Court can sit this financial year. To secure enough capacity to sit at the required levels in 2022/23 and beyond, we are also expanding our plans for judicial recruitment.19621_table (xlsx, 20.4KB)

Rape: Remand in Custody

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish figures on the (a) number of offenders who were held on remand awaiting trial for rape and (b) length of time those offenders were held on remand for, in each prison in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

James Cartlidge: The number of prisoners who were held on untried remand for alleged rape and the length of time those prisoners were held on remand, in each prison in England and Wales, as at 30 June in each of the last five years, is shown in the attached tables.When the court is making a remand decision, the Bail Act 1976 provides a presumption in favour of bail, recognising that a person should not be deprived of their liberty unless necessary for the protection of the public or the delivery of justice.The courts decide on a case-by-case basis whether a defendant presents such a bail risk as to warrant custody. Bail can only be refused where there is justification, as prescribed in Schedule 1 to the Bail Act, such as substantial grounds for believing that the defendant, would abscond, commit further offences, interfere with witnesses or otherwise obstruct the course of justice.The overall remand population has increased in recent years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Government is committed to supporting the recovery of the courts and we continue to take action to tackle the impact the pandemic has had on the system. We have extended 30 Nightingale courtrooms beyond the end of March 2022 and have again removed the limit on the number of days the Crown Court can sit this financial year. To secure enough capacity to sit at the required levels in 2022/23 and beyond, we are also expanding our plans for judicial recruitment.19620_table (xlsx, 20.0KB)

Arson: Remand in Custody

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders were held on remand awaiting trial for arson; and for how long those offenders were held on remand in each prison in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

James Cartlidge: The number of prisoners who were held on untried remand for alleged arson and the length of time those prisoners were held on remand, in each prison in England and Wales, as at 30 June in each of the last five years, is shown in the attached tables.When the court is making a remand decision, the Bail Act 1976 provides a presumption in favour of bail, recognising that a person should not be deprived of their liberty unless necessary for the protection of the public or the delivery of justice.The courts decide on a case-by-case basis whether a defendant presents such a bail risk as to warrant custody. Bail can only be refused where there is justification, as prescribed in Schedule 1 to the Bail Act, such as substantial grounds for believing that the defendant, would abscond, commit further offences, interfere with witnesses or otherwise obstruct the course of justice.The overall remand population has increased in recent years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Government is committed to supporting the recovery of the courts and we continue to take action to tackle the impact the pandemic has had on the system. We have extended 30 Nightingale courtrooms beyond the end of March 2022 and have again removed the limit on the number of days the Crown Court can sit this financial year. To secure enough capacity to sit at the required levels in 2022/23 and beyond, we are also expanding our plans for judicial recruitment.19619_table (xlsx, 18.4KB)

Prisons: Staff

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of (a) the number and (b) the job roles of HM Prisons staff who took their own lives in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) is committed to ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of its dedicated public servants.The department offers staff support through its Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), which includes a 24-hour confidential helpline. Additionally, there is access to mental health support including wellbeing workshops, confidential counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapies where clinically appropriate. These services can be accessed by employees absent or at work and employees do not have to inform their manager before accessing confidential counselling.In addition, staff are able to access preventative mental health support in the form of Reflective Sessions where they can discuss with a qualified counsellor the effects of work on life and life on work. These sessions are available to all HMPPS staff via the EAP supplier.The information requested is not held by the Ministry of Justice. MoJ’s Shared Operating Platform (SOP) which is used for HR payroll does not have a record of the cause of Death for its deceased employees.Recording a Death in Service as suicide is not something MoJ staff are able to do as the cause of death is not determined immediately after a Death in Service, but many months or sometimes years later by a Coroner. Coroner’s data is not then retrospectively added to SOP, but is published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Crime: Newport West

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to support victims of crime in Newport West constituency.

Tom Pursglove: We know that victim support services are crucial for victims to be able to rebuild and recover from the impact of crime. We are increasing funding for victim and witness support services to £192 million by 2024/25, compared to £41m in 2009/10. This includes an additional £6.6m per annum boost, announced last week, for services to support victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse. We have committed £154 million of this budget per annum on a multi-year basis, for the next three years (2022/23 to 2024/25 inclusive).We recently published a draft Victims Bill along with a wider package of measures that will amplify victims’ voices in the criminal justice process, improve the support victims receive, and strengthen oversight of criminal justice agencies.Measures that will go further to help support victims of crime in Wales and Newport West include:Enshrining the Victims’ Code in law, to send a clear signal about what victims can and should expect from the criminal justice system.Placing a duty on criminal justice agencies to review their compliance with the Code and take account of victim feedback, with a role for PCCs to convene local compliance monitoring, to ensure the criminal justice system is held accountable for delivering the Victims’ Code.Requiring inspectorates to undertake regular joint inspections on victims’ issues, to provide greater oversight and transparency over how victims are treated.

Powers of Attorney

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time is for the Office of the Public Guardian to approve a lasting power of attorney.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of lasting power of attorney applications initiated with the Office of the Public Guardian were resolved within (a) two weeks, (b) four weeks, (c) eight weeks, (d) 12 weeks and (e) more than 12 weeks in each year between 2018 and 2022.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of lasting power of attorney applications initiated with the Office of the Public Guardian were resolved within (a) two weeks, (b) four weeks, (c) eight weeks, (d) 12 weeks and (e) more than 12 weeks in the calendar year 2022.

Tom Pursglove: The current average time to register a lasting power of attorney (LPA) is 81.8 days. The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) target to register LPAs is 40 days. It should be noted that the OPG must carry out checks on receipt of the LPA before notices are issued, and then must observe a statutory waiting period of 4 weeks to allow for objections before the registration process can be completed. This statutory waiting period cannot be waived and is included in the calculation for the number of days to register an LPA. We know the delays are frustrating for customers and we are committed to reducing the time it is currently taking to register LPAs.OPG staff are working day and night to tackle the Covid backlog. Frontline operational staff whose role requires them to be office-based have worked in the office throughout the pandemic and continue to do so. The OPG rapidly changed working practices and processes during the pandemic to continue to deliver their services. In 2020 to 2021, the OPG processed an average of 53,000 LPA applications per month despite the many restrictions in place. This rose to an average of 60,000 per month in the last financial year, reaching over 70,000 in March 2022. The OPG have also hired extra staff, which is having an impact, with the number of LPAs being registered each month back to what it was before the pandemic.The below table details the proportion of the lasting powers of attorney (LPA) registered between 2018 and 2022 within each of the timeframes.LPAs registered within:2018-20192019-20202020-20212021-20222 weeks0%0%0%0%4 weeks0%0%0%0%8 weeks91.2%58.8%1.2%0.3%12 weeks8%40%65%25.4%Over 12 weeks0.8%1.2%33.8%74.3%The below table details the proportion of the lasting powers of attorney (LPA) registered within 2022 (1st January to 31st May).LPAs registered within:In the calendar year of 2022 (1st Jan up until 31st May)2 weeks0%4 weeks0%8 weeks0.2%12 weeks0.8%Over 12 weeks99%

Prisoners' Release: Unpaid Work

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring offenders who are released from prison on parole to carry out maintenance within their local communities as part of their parole conditions.

Kit Malthouse: Offenders released from prison are subject to licence conditions and supervised by the Probation Service. The statutory purposes of the licence period as set out in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 are to protect the public, reduce reoffending and help the offender resettle into the community. For those purposes, a set of standard and discretionary conditions are available which between them can put restrictions on the offender and require them to participate in relevant activities. The licence conditions are intended to enable the Probation Service to manage the offender’s risks effectively, and where an offender breaches them in such a way as to indicate increased risk, they may be recalled to custody.Unpaid work is available as a requirement of a community sentence (a community order or a suspended sentence order). Its key purposes are punishment and reparation. As a result, unpaid work does not form part of the current statutory framework for release on licence. While we have no plans to integrate unpaid work into custodial sentences, we recognise the benefits of offenders gaining skills for employment and we are committed to delivering a presumption in favour of offering offenders the chance to work in prison, on Release on Temporary Licence and on release where appropriate, including by building stronger links with employers. We are on track to roll out Prison Employment Leads, Employment Hubs and Employment Advisory Boards across all 91 resettlement prisons by April 2023.

Special Guardianship Orders

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many children are subject to a special guardianship order in England as of 16 June 2022.

James Cartlidge: The Government does not collect figures in relation to how many children are subject to a special guardianship order at any one time.However, the following table extracted from the publicly available Family Court Statistics Quarterly figures provides details on the number of children involved in orders since 2017 until 2021. These have remained relatively stable over that period.Source: Family Court Statistics Quarterly: October to December 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 20172018201920202021Public5,7585,9205,8345,2345,858Private1,5811,5011,5431,1921,254 No figures are available for 2022

Special Guardianship Orders

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many special guardianship orders were made in each of the last five years for which data is available.

James Cartlidge: The following table extracted from the publicly available Family Court Statistics Quarterly figures sets out the number of special guardianship orders made in both public and private law cases for the last five years. These have remained relatively stable over that period.Source: Family Court Statistics Quarterly: October to December 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). 20172018201920202021Public3,7383,8653,8563,5223,822Private1,1871,1131,167887925 Figures for 2022 are not currently available.

Treasury

Capital Gains Tax: Self-assessment

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for how long HMRC's website has been unavailable for people reporting and paying Capital Gains Tax as of 13 June 2022; how many paper forms have been dispatched to customers during that period; and on what date he expect that web service to be back online.

Lucy Frazer: HMRC’s Capital Gains Tax Digital Service includes the following: CGT report and pay Capital Gains on UK PropertyNo resident CGT short formPrint and post CG34Gform – Apply for a repayment of the non-UK Resident Stamp Duty Land Tax surchargeGform – for the associated register a non-resident company for Corporation TaxThere are no outages detected in any of these services. We can confirm there were 92 paper Capital Gains Tax UK Property Disposal returns issued on 13th June 2022. As there was no outage their issue was for unrelated reasons.

Child Benefit

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2022 to Question 5669 on Child Benefit, if his Department will carry out an assessment of the impact of (a) inflation and (b) rises in the cost of living on people affected by the High Income Child Benefit Charge.

Lucy Frazer: The government understands the pressures that families across the UK are facing with the cost of living. This is why the government is providing £37bn of funding this year, targeted at those most in need. Following the Chancellor’s announcement in May, millions of the most vulnerable households will get at least £1,200 of one-off support in total this year to help with the cost of living. The government has published distributional analysis of the impact of the Cost of Living package on households, which is available on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-living-support. This analysis showed that households on the lowest income deciles would benefit the most from the support announced. As set out in my answer of 30 May to you, the adjusted net income threshold of £50,000 for HICBC only affects a minority of earners with comparatively high incomes. The Government considers that the current threshold for HICBC remains the best option appropriate. As with all tax policy, the threshold is kept under review as part of the Government’s annual Budget process.

Lump Sum Payments

Brendan Clarke-Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the upper limit of lump sum pension withdrawals to above the £30,000 limit set out in the Pension Schemes Act 2015.

John Glen: The pensions regime has various features to ensure that pension scheme members are protected. The Pension Schemes Act 2015 introduced a requirement for members of pension schemes with safeguarded benefits, such as defined benefit schemes or those with a guaranteed annuity rate, to take independent financial advice before accessing their pension pot flexibly, where the total value of the member’s benefits exceeds £30,000. This is because these schemes offer a high level of security and, in some cases, valuable guarantees that should not be relinquished without fully understanding the risks of doing so. Therefore, it is important that consumers get suitable advice to ensure that the implications are clear before proceeding with a decision to transfer. Separately, trivial commutation rules allow individuals to access their pension as a lump sum if they are at least 55 years old (or retiring at an earlier age because of ill-health) and the total value of their rights in registered pension schemes is less than £30,000. The Government keeps all policies under review. Any changes would be announced in the usual way.

Shipping: New Businesses

Paul Girvan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to attract new maritime businesses to base themselves in the UK.

Helen Whately: At Autumn Budget 2021, the Government announced that it would reform the UK’s Tonnage Tax regime to ensure that the British shipping industry remains highly competitive. These reforms came into effect in April 2022 and aim to see more firms basing their headquarters in the UK, using the UK’s world-leading maritime services industry, and flying the UK flag. As part of these reforms, the Government is reviewing whether to include ship management within scope of the Tonnage Tax regime, and whether the existing limit that can be claimed in capital allowances by organisations leasing ships to Tonnage Tax participants remains appropriate.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support he is making available for people who are mortgage prisoners and are subject to significant payment rises.

John Glen: The Government has worked with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on changes to regulation, making it possible for lenders to offer products to a greater number of mortgage prisoners. We have also put resources in place so that mortgage prisoners can understand their options better, including their ability to switch, and access advice through MoneyHelper. The Treasury continues to work with industry to determine if there are any further solutions which would meaningfully benefit mortgage prisoners and are fair to other borrowers in the wider mortgage market, including those who are also paying variable rates. On the cost of living more broadly, the Government has introduced over £15bn of additional support, targeted particularly at those with the greatest need. This package builds on the over £22bn announced previously, with government support for the cost of living now totalling over £37bn this year. Millions of the most vulnerable households will receive at least £1,200 of one-off support in total this year to help with the cost of living.

Fossil Fuels: Subsidies

Munira Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the Government's decision to double tax relief for oil and gas companies investing in domestic fossil fuel extraction projects until the end of 2025 with its COP26 commitment to phase out fossil fuel subsidies.

Helen Whately: The UK does not give fossil fuel subsidies, and follows the approach of the International Energy Agency, which defines fossil fuel subsidies as measures that reduce the effective price of fossil fuels below world market prices. The International Energy Agency has a long-standing track record in systematically measuring fossil-fuel subsidies using a commonly applied methodology. This definition was originally developed with the European Commission and G20 EU Member States to respond to the G20 commitment to phase out such subsidies. The UK has been a longstanding supporter of multilateral efforts to promote fossil fuel subsidy reform since these were first proposed in 2009, including through the G20, and the G7. The UK is a signatory of the Glasgow Climate Pact and is committed to the agreed phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies across the globe that encourage wasteful consumption, and sees clear benefits in doing so.

Debts: Developing Countries

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of temporarily limiting the ability of private creditors to sue for debt recovery for low-income countries.

John Glen: The Government is fully focused on ensuring that the private sector provides debt relief for low-income countries where this is required as part of an internationally agreed debt treatment. For example, under the Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the DSSI, private sector participation on at least as favourable terms as bilateral creditors is a fundamental principle. The G20, including the UK, has repeatedly emphasised the importance of this principle. The Government does not currently have any intention to pursue a legislative approach that would force private lenders to participate in debt relief initiatives. Any legislative approach would need to address a number of challenges. For example, legislating may increase the cost of finance for low-income countries or reduce the availability of finance to meet wider development goals.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Ukraine: Development Aid

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts on support for Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The Foreign Secretary continues to ensure the UK is playing a leading role in driving the international response to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, regularly meeting and speaking with Foreign Minister counterparts, including the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, G7 Foreign Ministers and NATO Foreign Ministers. In particular, we are working with international partners to support Ukraine across a range of areas, including military, economic, and humanitarian. We will continue to support the Ukrainian government in the face of this assault on their sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Russia: War Crimes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will increase the resources the UK is providing to international investigations into Russian war crimes committed in Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The UK supports the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the situation in Ukraine, in its role as the primary international institution with the mandate to investigate and prosecute war crimes and other international crimes of the most serious concern. The UK will provide the necessary assistance to the ICC to support its investigation into all allegations of war crimes, including through £1 million in funding and technical assistance. The Attorney General led a scoping mission to the region from 8-11 May, to assess how UK Government Departments can assist Ukraine's domestic investigation into war crimes, in addition to the ICC investigation. We are working with international allies to ensure that our resources are coordinated. On 25 May, the UK, European Union, the United States, announced the creation of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA), a mechanism aimed at ensuring efficient coordination of their respective support to accountability efforts on the ground.

Brazil: Election Observers

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for democracy of reports that the Brazilian Armed Forces will act as election observers in the Presidential Election in October 2022 in that country.

Vicky Ford: We are aware of reports that President Bolsonaro has suggested that the Brazilian armed forces should have a role in monitoring the presidential elections in Brazil this October. It is important for all participants to respect core democratic principles and electoral processes. We continue to engage with the Brazilian Government, political parties and civil society organisations on this basis. Independent election monitoring provides vital support for credible and inclusive elections and we will continue to support the work of international election observation organisations in Brazil.

Somaliland: Elections

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with authorities in Somaliland on the (a) schedule for free, fair and peaceful Presidential elections on 13 November 2022, (b) importance of an independent electoral authority and freedom of peaceful assembly and protest, and (c) recent actions against opposition politicians in that country.

Vicky Ford: The UK remains committed to free and fair elections which are essential components of a functioning democracy. As part of our ongoing dialogue with the Somaliland authorities, we have consistently underlined the importance of agreement on the sequencing of presidential and political parties elections, due later this year. We have also underlined the need for voter registration to be allowed to commence as soon as possible, to avoid the risk of technical delays later in the year. The UK has assisted the Somaliland National Elections Commission, providing £1.97 million to upgrade voter registration systems and support election observation.We have asked the government to urgently investigate the violent incidents that occurred during the protests in Hargeisa on 9 June. With international partners, the UK issued a statement locally, expressing concern, urging restraint and de-escalation, and calling for dialogue to reach consensus on the election roadmap. We have also engaged the government and opposition in Hargeisa.

Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of the announcement in the recent International Development Strategy to reduce multilateral funding from 40 per cent to 25 per cent of Official Development Assistance on (a) UK funding to tackle malaria and (b) the UK’s contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Amanda Milling: The International Development Strategy (IDS) emphasises that global health will remain a top priority. We will continue to deliver our health commitments on COVID-19; build strong health systems; promote a One Health approach and work towards ending preventable deaths of mothers, babies and children. We will maintain essential partnerships with multilateral organisations to achieve these objectives and tackle global challenges that the UK cannot solve alone. The UK remains committed to tackling malaria, which is closely linked to our ambition to end preventable deaths. The Global Fund remains a key partner for the UK in the shared fight against HIV, TB and malaria. We are reviewing the Global Fund's investment case for the 7th replenishment and deciding our precise contribution in line with delivering the new IDS.

Libya: Islamic State

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when her Department first identified Islamic State as posing a significant threat in Libya.

James Cleverly: It is the longstanding policy of successive British Governments that we do not comment on intelligence matters.

Kiribati: Nuclear Weapons

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her Kiribati counterpart regarding past UK nuclear weapons testing in that country.

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to assist Kiribati in collecting information on the possible impacts of past nuclear weapons testing on its territory.

James Cleverly: Ministers have not discussed this topic with Kiribati counterparts. The UK government appreciates the importance of the biodiversity and cultural value of the many islands that make up the Republic of Kiribati including those affected by nuclear testing in the pre-independence period and acknowledges the Line and Phoenix Islands Integrated Development Strategy 2016-2036. The UK hopes that its increased funding for environmental and climate related initiatives in the Pacific region will be able to contribute to the achievement of this strategy in line with the needs of Kiribati communities in the islands.

Pakistan: Missguided

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of reports that workers in Pakistan making clothing for the fashion brand, Missguided, have not received salaries for more than four months and as a result are destitute and starving.

James Cleverly: We are looking into reports of the negative impact on workers in Pakistan after the alleged collapse of the UK firm, Missguided.

Pakistan: Missguided

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her Pakistani counterpart on the impact on Pakistani garment workers of the collapse of the fashion brand, Missguided.

James Cleverly: We are looking into reports of the negative impact on workers in Pakistan after the alleged collapse of the UK firm, Missguided.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Correspondence

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which criteria determine whether she refers to herself in official communications as the (a) Foreign Secretary or (b) Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.

James Cleverly: The Foreign Secretary's formal title is the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs. Foreign Secretary is the abbreviated form.

Members: Correspondence

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she respond to the correspondence of 18 March 2022 from the hon. Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys on behalf of a constituent on Cyprus.

James Cleverly: A reply has now been sent to the Honourable Member. We apologise for the delay.

Question

Amy Callaghan: What recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of discrimination faced by Palestinians in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Amanda Milling: We are concerned about increased tensions in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and are monitoring the situation closely. We are committed to achieving a negotiated two-state solution, which envisions both Israel and a viable Palestinian State, living side by side in peace and security and mutual recognition. We have a regular dialogue on human rights with the Government of Israel to encourage them to abide by obligations under international law and to do all it can to uphold the values of equality for all.

Question

Carol Monaghan: What recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of discrimination faced by Palestinians in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Amanda Milling: We are concerned about increased tensions in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and are monitoring the situation closely. We are committed to achieving a negotiated two-state solution, which envisions both Israel and a viable Palestinian State, living side by side in peace and security and mutual recognition. We have a regular dialogue on human rights with the Government of Israel to encourage them to abide by obligations under international law and to do all it can to uphold the values of equality for all.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which Department is responsible for coordinating the repatriation of bodies or remains of UK nationals killed in the Russian war on Ukraine.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the repatriation of bodies or remains of UK nationals killed in the Russian war on Ukraine.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the repatriation of bodies or remains of UK nationals killed in the Russian war on Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The deceased's next of kin is responsible for repatriating their family member who has died overseas, including those killed fighting in Ukraine. They may of course decide not to do so and opt for a local cremation or burial. The FCDO, with the Chief Coroner of England and Wales and the National Police Chiefs' Council has published an MOU setting out how we together support those bereaved by a violent death overseas of a British national where there is a repatriation. To support the families of those killed fighting in Ukraine, FCDO are liaising closely with UK Disaster Victim Identification, HM Coroner, Ukrainian authorities and relevant international funeral directors.

Commonwealth: Malaria

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support Commonwealth countries to achieve the Commonwealth’s target of (a) halving malaria by 2023 and (b) working towards ending the epidemic of malaria by 2030.

Amanda Milling: Nine out of every ten people in the Commonwealth live in a malaria-endemic country. The UK is committed to tackling malaria, which is closely linked to our ambition to end preventable deaths of mothers, babies and newborns. The majority of our malaria investments are through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria; and this funds malaria prevention and treatment in Commonwealth countries. We are reviewing the Global Fund's investment case for the 7th replenishment and deciding our precise contribution in line with delivering the new International Development Strategy. To work towards ending the epidemic of malaria, we also invest in research to develop new tools to prevent, diagnose and treat malaria and support countries to strengthen their health systems.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which Department is responsible for coordinating victim identification for any UK nationals killed in the Russian war on Ukraine whose bodies or remains (a) remain in Ukraine and (b) are repatriated to the UK.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the (a) identification and (b) coordination of the UK's disaster victim identification process to identify the bodies or remains of UK nationals killed in the Russian war on Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The police or local authorities in the country where a British national has died should identify the body. The FCDO works closely with UK Disaster Victim Identification and HM Coroner to ensure that British nationals killed in violent or suspicious circumstances overseas are identified to UK and international law enforcement standards, enabling repatriation back to the UK and other post-mortem processes to be completed as required.

Israel: Palestinians

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the British Consul General has made representations to the Israeli Government on halting proposals for mass evictions at Masafer Yatta.

Amanda Milling: The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions and evictions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. Our opposition to the demolition of Palestinian property and the evictions of Palestinians from their homes is long-standing. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and the British Embassy Tel Aviv have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation.

Israel: Palestinians

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to raise the matter of forced transfers of Palestinian citizens in the South Hebron Hills at (a) the UN and (b) other international forums.

Amanda Milling: The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The Fourth Geneva Convention, which applies to all occupied territories, prohibits demolitions or forced evictions absent military necessity. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to Palestinians and is harmful to efforts to promote peace. The UK made this clear in our statement to the UN Security Council Middle East Peace Process session on 26 May.

Humanitarian Aid

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans the Government has to fulfil its commitment to making the humanitarian system as anticipatory as possible, as set out in the G7 foreign ministers' statement, published on 14 May 2022.

Vicky Ford: The UK is a global leader in driving more effective approaches to crises and preventing and anticipating future shocks. The G7 foreign ministers' statement builds on commitments agreed during the UK Presidency in 2021, including the first ever G7 Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Crisis Compact. We are one of the largest donors to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which is pioneering initiatives on anticipatory action. Last year, we also provided funding to the Red Cross and civil society to strengthen anticipatory approaches to humanitarian assistance.Scaling up anticipatory action is not just about supporting the humanitarian system, and that is why we have also committed £120 million for regional disaster protection schemes across Africa, the Caribbean, South-East Asia, and the Pacific. As set out in the Government's International Development Strategy, we will continue to step up our life-saving humanitarian work going forward, including by drawing on innovative finance and insurance mechanisms to better manage and anticipate humanitarian emergencies.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which Department is responsible for coordinating the collection of antemortem records of UK citizens who are (a) missing and (b) at risk in the Russian war in Ukraine.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the collection of antemortem records of UK citizens who are missing or at risk in the Russian war on Ukraine.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the collection of antemortem records of UK citizens missing or at risk in the Russian war on Ukraine.

James Cleverly: It is for the Ukrainian authorities to maintain any necessary records of those missing or at risk in Ukraine. The FCDO provides support to the families of British nationals, including liaison with UK Police, Ministry of Defence, UK Disaster Victim Identification and HM Coroner as necessary to assist the Ukrainian authorities with their enquiries. The FCDO retain consular case handling records in line with The General Data Protection Regulation.

Kenya: Cereals

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the Kenyan Government with the global grain shortages caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

James Cleverly: Countries across East Africa including Kenya are experiencing sharp food price inflation linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A region-wide drought is compounding the impacts of Russia's illegal war. Since January the UK has provided £1 million in humanitarian support to Kenya in response to the drought. We are urgently working with the UN, the G7 and the international community to unlock the export of Ukrainian grain and find practical ways to open up commercial shipping routes.

Developing Countries: Food Supply

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support more efficient use of fertilisers to manage the impact on food security in developing countries over the coming months of limited supplies linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The crisis in global fertiliser prices and supply poses a grave risk for global food security.Internationally, the UK is supporting agriculture production in developing countries through a range of investments that promote sustainable and more efficient use of fertilisers. British International Investment, our Development Finance Institution, is supporting the food and agriculture sector through a $560 million portfolio that will continue to expand. We are developing a technical assistance offer through our Centres of Expertise which will support countries to identify, implement and attract investment in market-based and sustainable solutions to the fertiliser crisis.

Abdul Kolim

Mark Tami: On how many occasions she has raised the case of Abdul Kolim, who is imprisoned in Morocco, with the Moroccan authorities.

James Cleverly: Consular officials remain in regular contact with Mr Kolim and his lawyer and last visited him on 13 April. The UK Ambassador has raised issue of delays in prison transfer process twice with Moroccan Minister of Justice in recent months. We continue to provide consular support to Mr Kolim and his family.

Israel: Palestinians

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the ruling of the Israeli supreme court on the situation in Masafer Yatta.

Amanda Milling: During my first visit to the OPTs this week, I hope to meet with the Palestinians affected by the ongoing demolition and eviction orders at Masafer Yatta and raise our concerns on the impact with the relevant authorities. The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions and evictions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. Our opposition to the demolition of Palestinian property and the evictions of Palestinians from their homes is long-standing. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to Palestinians and is harmful to efforts to promote peace.

British Overseas Territories: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Dame Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the Overseas Territories during hurricane seasons.

Amanda Milling: My Department coordinated a cross-government hurricane exercise earlier this month as part of its review of plans to ensure the UK provides a rapid and effective response this year. In May, officials also hosted a pre-hurricane season conference. We continue to invest in capability and capacity building programmes across the Overseas Territories.

Qatar: Baha'i Faith

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she raised (a) human rights and (b) the treatment of the Baha'i community with the Emir of Qatar on her recent visit to that country.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to raise protection of the freedom of religion or belief of the Baha’i people with her Qatari counterpart.

Amanda Milling: The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.The Foreign Secretary last visited Qatar in October 2021 where she had a number of discussions with key interlocutors, including His Highness the Amir. Human rights, including women and girls' issues were discussed, but the Baha'i community was not discussed. FCDO Officials, both in the UK and in Doha, have and will continue to engage with members of the Baha'i community in Qatar. Earlier this year, officials in Doha raised the challenges faced by some members of the Baha'i community with the Director for Human Rights from the Qatari Ministry of Interior and Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The UK Ambassador to Qatar has also raised the issue with Qatari Ministers, who agreed to look into the issue. We will continue to raise these issues with the Qatari Government, including in light of the Special Rapporteur's for Freedom of Religion or Belief's report 'Rights of persons belonging to religious or belief minorities in situations of conflict or insecurity' published in March 2022.

China and Hong Kong: Assets

Dame Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will undertake an audit of the UK assets owned by Hong Kong and Chinese officials who have been linked to human rights violations.

Amanda Milling: We are deeply concerned about the appalling human rights violations in China and the deterioration of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong. We keep all evidence and potential designations under close review, guided by the objectives of the relevant sanctions regime. It is not appropriate to speculate about future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.

Development Aid: Climate Change

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts on the aid funding required to help countries in the global south tackle climate change.

Vicky Ford: The FCDO ministerial team is engaging counterparts across the world to ensure we deliver on the Glasgow Climate Pact. We are urging all finance providers to meet the $100 billion a year goal as soon as possible, ensure this finance is accessible and set out clear commitments by COP27 to collectively double adaptation finance from 2019 levels by 2025.

Somalia: Food Aid

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the role of food insecurity in support for militant groups in Somalia; and what new steps she is taking to assist those suffering from food insecurity in that region.

Vicky Ford: The UK is deeply concerned by the situation in Somalia and across the Horn of Africa.The UK is working with aid organisations that have access to difficult-to-reach locations across Somalia, to ensure support reaches those most in need. We are also providing urgently needed humanitarian assistance to those most affected across Somalia. We acted early in response to the extreme drought, including initial humanitarian funding of £14.5 million. In April, the UK also played a critical role in convening the recent UN Horn of Africa Drought Roundtable which took place in late April in Geneva which mobilised roughly US $400 million in new funding. I announced an additional £25 million for famine prevention across Somalia. We are stepping up our diplomatic and political engagement to increase life-saving support from the international community. I have written to World Bank President Malpass this week urging further action on food security in the Horn of Africa.

Israel: Palestinians

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the British Counsel General has made representations on protecting (a) Jewish activists and (b) local residents from attacks and illegal roadblocks from settlers at unauthorized outposts near Masafer Yatta.

Amanda Milling: We are monitoring developments at Masafer Yatta closely given the increased risk of the forced transfer of over 1000 Palestinians, and the demolition of their homes.We condemn any incidence of violence by settlers. We urge the Israeli authorities to thoroughly investigate every instance to bring those responsible to justice. The UK continues to engage frequently with the Israeli authorities on restrictions on movement and access and stress the impact of these measures on ordinary Palestinians who rely on these fundamental rights.

Developing Countries: Development Aid

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to provide finance to (a) low- and (b) middle-income countries.

Amanda Milling: As set out in the recently published International Development Strategy, we will allocate aid where it is most needed and effective, use aid to bring in more money to development, and amplify this with the ideas that cost little but go far.The majority of our Official Development Assistance (ODA) will be channelled towards low-income countries where there is a clear commitment to progress. These countries are the least able to finance their development through taxes, borrowing or investment. We will continue to support the global goal of providing at least 0.2% of our Gross National Income (GNI) to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).We will work more with Middle-Income Countries (MICs) who are central to the achievement of global commitments. In these contexts, we will bring together investment, trade, expertise, technology, science and diplomacy to drive long term reform and change, working in partnership with host governments and citizens. We will draw on ODA only as necessary in MICs.

Palestinians: Health Hazards

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the risks to the life and health presented by unexploded ordnance in Gaza for (a) civilians and (b) children.

Amanda Milling: We do not collect this information. The UK will continue to urge the parties to prioritise progress towards reaching a durable solution for Gaza and to take the necessary practical steps to ensure Gaza's reconstruction and economic recovery. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire.

Cameroon: Human Rights

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the human rights situation in Cameroon.

Vicky Ford: The human rights situation in the north-west and south-west of Cameroon is concerning. Recent incidents have caused tragic civilian casualties on 1 June and a hospital being burnt on 8 June. Violations are likely being committed by all sides. We welcome the government investigation into the incident on 1 June and have called on all parties to protect civilians.

Baltic States

Craig Tracey: What diplomatic steps her Department is taking to help strengthen the UK’s security and economic relationship with the Baltic states.

James Cleverly: The UK has close diplomatic, security and economic relations with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Together we are deterring Russia, supporting Ukraine and deepening our cooperation on defence and security. On 6 June the Prime Minister met the Estonian Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary regularly engages with her Baltic counterparts. In the last 18 months, we have signed declarations of cooperation with each of the Baltic States and will continue to strengthen our security and economic collaboration.

Ukraine: Development Aid

Felicity Buchan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to help support preparations for the rebuilding of Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The Prime Minister has made clear our commitment to help preserve the viability of the Ukrainian state and to support reconstruction wherever possible. We are working with the Ukrainian Government to identify their needs and will attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference in July. The UK has also led efforts to support Ukraine with economic, military and humanitarian support. We have committed support totalling over $3 billion so far.

Balkans: Peace Negotiations

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she has taken to help support peace and stability in the Western Balkans.

James Cleverly: HMG is working closely with our NATO Allies, including the US and European partners, to support security and stability. In February, the Western Balkans Prime Ministers and Ambassadors were hosted in London for talks on strengthening our economic and security partnerships, including cooperation on resilience and cyber. In April, the Government used its Bosnia and Herzegovina autonomous sanctions regime for the first time, sanctioning Bosnian-Serb politicians Milorad Dodik and Zeljka Cvijanovic for their attempts to undermine the legitimacy and functionality of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Government has announced plans to extend our offer of honest and reliable infrastructure investment to the Western Balkans, and aims to mobilise £80 million of UK-backed investment by 2025. This will reduce dependency on Russian hydrocarbons and accelerate the transition to renewables. The Prime Minister's Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, Sir Stuart Peach, is also engaging extensively across the region, working alongside our US and European partners to reduce the risk of conflict.

Northern Ireland Protocol

Joanna Cherry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill on the UK’s international reputation.

James Cleverly: The UK is playing a positive role in Europe and globally, working with partners to defend freedom and democracy, as we are in Ukraine. We are strengthening our bilateral relationships in Europe and have signed 30 bilateral agreements with European partners since exiting the EU. We are fixing the problems with the Protocol, upholding the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and ensuring the EU is no worse off.

Ukraine: Prisoners of War

Paul Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her international counterparts on the prosecution of Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner and Brahim Saadoun in Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The Government of Ukraine has confirmed that foreign nationals fighting as members of their armed forces are Prisoners of War (PoW). This includes British Nationals captured by Russian forces or proxies and detained in non-government controlled areas of Ukraine. All PoWs must be treated in accordance with International Humanitarian Law, including the Geneva Conventions. HMG is working with the Government of Ukraine on British Nationals detainees, PoWs and potential breaches of International Humanitarian Law and liaising closely with other international partners.

Ukraine: Diplomatic Service

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of diplomatic British support for Ukraine.

James Cleverly: President Zelenskyy has stated that the only way to halt the war is through diplomacy. The UK supports this view and Ukraine's desire for a just negotiated outcome that ensures a full Russian withdrawal, respects Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and deters Russia from future aggression. The UK calls upon Russia to halt its illegal war and to engage in genuine and meaningful negotiations. The Foreign Secretary continues to lead the diplomatic effort, regularly meeting and speaking with Foreign Minister counterparts, including the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, G7 and NATO Foreign Ministers.

Jagtar Singh Johal

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to secure the release of Jagtar Singh Johal.

Vicky Ford: The UK Government takes all allegations of human rights violations very seriously, and we regularly raise Mr Johal's case directly with the Government of India at official and Ministerial level. The Prime Minister raised Mr Johal's case with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 April as part of a wide-ranging discussion. The Foreign Secretary last raised Mr Johal's case with the Indian Minister of External Affairs, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, on 31 March 2022. Consular staff have attended a number of hearings in Mr Johal's case in an observer capacity, and did so on 2, 3, 4, 7, and 9 June. This Government will continue to look to raise our concerns about Mr Johal's case at all appropriate opportunities.

Jagtar Singh Johal

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in India on the detention of Jagtar Singh Johal.

Vicky Ford: The UK Government takes all allegations of human rights violations very seriously, and we regularly raise Mr Johal's case directly with the Government of India at official and Ministerial level. The Prime Minister raised Mr Johal's case with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 April as part of a wide-ranging discussion. The Foreign Secretary last raised Mr Johal's case with the Indian Minister of External Affairs, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, on 31 March 2022. Consular staff have attended a number of hearings in Mr Johal's case in an observer capacity, and did so on 2, 3, 4, 7, and 9 June. This Government will continue to look to raise our concerns about Mr Johal's case at all appropriate opportunities.

Sudan: Violence

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what further steps she will take to increase pressure on the military in Sudan to address the (a) the continued use of excessive and lethal force used by security forces against civilians in Sudan and (b) lack of accountability for those acts.

Vicky Ford: We remain concerned at the political crisis in Sudan and the use of violence against protestors, at least 100 of whom have been killed calling for a return to Sudan's democratic transition. At the UN Security Council (UNSC) on 3 June and in a statement with our partners on 8 June, we called for an end to the use of violence and increased accountability of the security forces. We will also use the current session of the UN Human Rights Council to raise our concerns and maintain pressure on the Sudanese authorities to allow peaceful protests, protect human rights and deliver on accountability.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Conflict Resolution

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to support (a) dialogue between the Governments of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, (b) a roadmap for negotiations with armed groups in the region and (c) community led conflict resolution projects in North and South Kivu regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Vicky Ford: The security situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is concerning. The recent increase in violence risks efforts to pursue peace; we fully support further diplomatic outreach and dialogue between Rwanda and DRC. We have raised our concerns about the increase in violence, protection of civilians and increased movement of armed groups with the governments in the region, as well as the leadership of the UN Peacekeeping Mission, MONUSCO. The UK engages frequently and at a senior level with the Governments of Rwanda and DRC. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon raised our concerns about the escalating violence in the region most recently with the Rwandan Foreign Minister on 14 June 2022 and I intend to raise these concerns with my counterparts in Rwanda and DRC over the coming days.The UK is committed to supporting efforts to build stability and reduce violence in DRC. The UK continues to be a major funder of MONUSCO and to liaise extensively on their deployments to improve security and ensure the protection of civilians and the safety and security of UN personnel and humanitarian workers.

Ministry of Defence

European Fighter Aircraft

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Typhoon aircraft in (a) service and (b) storage in the Royal Air Force's fleet, what is the (a) tail number, (b) remaining airframe fatigue life in hours and (c) expected maximum airframe fatigue life of each aircraft.

Jeremy Quin: The Current Fatigue Index (FI) value and Flying Hour clearances, and those expected at Out of Service Date are as follows.Tranche 1 & 2 Flying Hours - current 4,000 hours, expected to rise to 6,000 hoursTranche 1 & 2 Fatigue Index - current 66, expected to rise to 100Tranche 3 Flying Hours - current 3,000 hours, expected to rise to 6,000 hoursTranche 3 Fatigue Index - current 50, expected to rise to 100 The average FI value across the full Typhoon fleet is currently 23.07.

European Fighter Aircraft

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Typhoon aircraft are in (a) service and (b) storage by tranche as on 16 June 2022; and what are the planned end-of-service dates for each tranche.

Jeremy Quin: There are currently 137 Typhoons either in service or storage with the RAF, the breakdown by tranche is as follows: Tranche 1- 30 (20 in service / 10 in storage) Tranche 2- 67 (all in service) Tranche 3- 40 (all in service) Although Typhoon's final out of service date (OSD) remains under consideration, the assumed OSD by each tranche is as follows: Tranche 1- 31 December 2024 Tranche 2- 31 March 2040 Tranche 3- 31 March 2040

European Fighter Aircraft

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for each Typhoon aircraft with a clearly defined out of service date, what is the (a) tail number, (b) expected end of service date and (c) expected remaining airframe fatigue life at end of service of each aircraft.

Jeremy Quin: Routine Fleet Management processes take account of periods of surge in airframe use to meet Defence Priorities, ensuring an even distribution of the fatigue life of airframes throughout the life of the Fleet.While remaining aircraft fatigue life across the whole fleet is considered as an important factor when calculating Out-of-Service dates, other factors including obsolescence, upgrade programmes and changes in the nature of the threat.

Ukraine: Military Aid

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Ukraine has the military weapons required to defend its territories.

James Heappey: Defence continues to play a leading role in helping Ukraine defend its territories, working with Allies and partners to support Ukraine's right to be a sovereign, independent and democratic nation.We have already committed £1.3 billion for military operations and aid, including giving Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, to meet Ukrainian Armed Forces' requests for assistance. We are also making a major contribution to the coordination of military support from our Allies and partners to enable Ukraine to repel Russian aggression.

Air Force: Recruitment

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were recruited to the Royal Air Force in each year since 2017.

Leo Docherty: The information requested is provided in the following table.  31-Dec-201731-Dec-201831-Dec-201931-Dec-202031-Dec-2021Totals2,0042,2252,6072,2472,449untrained1,9562,1702,4782,0582,394trained485512918955Officers 330420359342331untrained311392313228313trained19284611418Other Ranks1,6741,8052,2481,9052,118untrained1,6451,7782,1651,8302,081trained2927837537

Navy: Recruitment

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were recruited to the Royal Navy in each year since 2017.

Leo Docherty: The information requested is provided in the following table:  31-Dec-201731-Dec-201831-Dec-201931-Dec-202031-Dec-2021Total Regular Intake3,0163,0883,4813,8503,752Untrained2,9573,0113,4423,7803,702Trained5977397050Officers372354373342333Untrained368346365324323Trained4881810Other Ranks2,6442,7343,1083,5083,419Untrained2,5892,6653,0773,4563,379Trained5569315240

Army: Recruitment

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were recruited to the Army in each year since 2017.

Leo Docherty: The Trained and Untrained Intake to the Regular Army by calendar year since 2017 can be found in the below table.  20172018201920202021Total Regular Intake8,0245,7799,7439,7978,943Untrained7,3655,3059,2109,0988,561Trained659474533699382Officers697649623713695Untrained633629580658670Trained6420435525Other Ranks7,3275,1309,1209,0848,248Untrained6,7324,6768,6308,4407,891Trained595454490644357Source: Analysis (Army) Notes/caveats: Untrained = Individuals entering Basic TrainingTrained = Individuals entering having completed Basic Training, i.e., entering Initial Trade Training or entering as Trade Trained

Ministry of Defence: Human Rights

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with representatives of the International Criminal Court on his Department's human rights obligations under the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Act 2021.

Leo Docherty: The Secretary of State for Defence had an exchange of correspondence with representatives of the International Criminal Court between January and April 2021, providing clarification on provisions contained within the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill.The Defence Secretary initiated the correspondence, writing two letters, dated 21 January and 21 April 2021, and the International Criminal Court responded to the 21 January 2021 letter on 3 March 2021.

Ministry of Defence: Civil Proceedings

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civil claims against his Department were rejected on the basis of Part 2 of the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Act 2021 since the commencement of that legislation.

Leo Docherty: The decision about whether a claim should be rejected because of Part 2 of the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Act 2021 is ultimately a matter for the court hearing that claim. No civil claims brought against the Ministry of Defence have been rejected as a result of the operation of Part 2 of that Act since its commencement on 30 June 2021.

Army

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) infantry, (b) artillery, (c) armoured and (d) support battalions there were in the British Army as of 15 June 2022.

James Heappey: Number of Battalions/Regiments RegularReserveInfantry3216Artillery126Armoured94Support6346 Table notes: Support regiments and battalions are made up of Royal Engineers, Royal Signals, Army Air Corps, Royal Logistics Corps, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and the Intelligence Corps. Units without an operational output have been excluded. For example, 5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland which perform a purely ceremonial function, and training regiments such as 2 (Training) Regiment, Army Air Corps. Army regiments/battalions in other TLBs, for example UK Strategic Command, have been included. This data is a single Service estimate and is not official statistics produced by Defence Statistics.

Army: Deployment

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the present capacity of the British Army to fully equip and deploy its two divisions to an active kinetic engagement while maintaining the UK's other defence commitments around the world.

James Heappey: The ability to conduct high-end warfighting remains at the core of the British Army, including remaining a leading contributor to the NATO alliance and the ability to field a warfighting Division. The Army has two deployable divisions: 1 (UK) Division who provide a wide range of capabilities both at home and overseas; and 3 (UK) Division, the Army's primary armoured warfighting force.In accordance with Defence's corporate governance structures and processes, the Army reports quarterly on its Performance against the goals and objectives set by the Defence Strategy and Defence Plan. For security reasons, the details of any Command's report on capability is held at higher classifications.

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether security staff who worked for private contractors at the UK Embassy in Kabul were deemed eligible for relocation to the UK via the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.

James Heappey: The Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy scheme offers relocation or other assistance to former Locally Employed Staff (LES) in Afghanistan. It is not time-limited and will endure, facilitating the relocation of eligible Afghans and their families.Eligibility decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, and so I cannot confirm eligibility for any group as a whole.

Military Aid: Coronavirus

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total number of Separated Service days accrued by armed forces personnel who were assigned to Military Aid to the Civil Authorities tasks related to the covid-19 outbreak was between 17 March 2020 and 1 April 2022.

James Heappey: Defence met the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and provided a huge degree of support, with approximately 34,000 Armed Forces personnel deployed on 466 Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) tasks. Defence supported the wider Government's COVID-19 response, while maintaining the routine functioning of Government, critical Defence activities, and overseas commitments.Information on the total number of Separated Service days accrued by Armed Forces personnel deployed on Covid-19 related MACA tasks is not held centrally. Therefore, a full response could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Military Aid: Coronavirus

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many days of annual leave were cancelled by armed forces personnel assigned to Military Aid to the Civil Authorities tasks related to the covid-19 outbreak between 17 March 2020 and 1 April 2022.

James Heappey: Defence met the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and provided a huge degree of support, with approximately 34,000 Armed Forces personnel deployed on 466 Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) tasks. Defence supported the wider Government's COVID-19 response, while maintaining the routine functioning of Government, critical Defence activities, and overseas commitments.Information on the number of days of annual leave cancelled by Armed Forces personnel deployed on Covid-19 related MACA tasks is not held centrally. Therefore, a full response could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Ukraine: Military Aid

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to replenish UK stocks of (a) weapons and (b) equipment donated to Ukraine.

Jeremy Quin: I can confirm that this department is fully engaged with industry, allies and partners to ensure that equipment granted in kind to the armed forces of Ukraine is replaced as appropriately and expeditiously as possible.

Ministry of Defence: Public Expenditure

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's spending projections are for (a) the armed forces, (b) pensions for military and civilian personnel, (c) peacekeeping, (d) research and development, (e) military aspects of mixed-civilian military activities, (f) financial assistance to support the defence of an ally and (g) expenditure towards NATO common infrastructure, as a proportion of GDP in each year until 2032.

Jeremy Quin: An indicative breakdown of Defence's spend can be found in previous years' Annual Reports and Accounts, which are published annually. Except in specific circumstances, for example in our projections to NATO or under our transparency commitments in the Equipment Plan, the Department does not release cost projections into the public domain, as these have the potential to undermine the effective running of the Ministry of Defence, and has implications for its commercial negotiations.

Department for Work and Pensions

Maternity Pay

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government has plans to increase statutory maternity pay.

Guy Opperman: The standard rate of Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is reviewed annually, alongside state benefits, and is generally increased in line with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). From April 2022 the standard rate of SMP increased to £156.66, in line with the September 2021 CPI rate of 3.1%. Government already spends approximately £3 billion a year on maternity payments. Any changes to the rate of SMP would have to take account of economic circumstances and affordability for taxpayers and could not be made without consultation with businesses and other stakeholders.The Government has no plans to increase the rate of SMP outside of the annual review of uprating.

Personal Independence Payment: Long Covid

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of classifying long covid as a condition eligible for Personal Independence Payments.

Chloe Smith: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is intended to act as a contribution towards the extra costs that arise from needs related to a long-term health condition or disability. It is assessed on the basis of functional needs not a diagnosis or condition. The needs arising from long Covid are assessed in the same way as for all other health conditions or disabilities.From March 2021 we amended PIP statistical classifications to include the category “Coronavirus COVID-19”. Data on the PIP caseload by a range of factors, including main disabling condition, can be extracted from Stat-Xplore (Stat-Xplore - Log in (dwp.gov.uk)) . Information on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found at Getting Started (dwp.gov.uk).

Armed Forces: Universal Credit

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of serving members of the armed forces are in receipt of Universal Credit.

David Rutley: The information requested is not currently available. The Department has been collecting this information since April 2021, however there are not enough responses at present to accurately estimate the total number of serving members of the armed forces who are in receipt of Universal Credit.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason her Department would allow (a) an Employment and Support Allowance, (b) Personal Independence Payment and (c) Universal Credit appeal to lapse.

Chloe Smith: When a claimant submits an appeal, a DWP decision maker will review their case again including any new evidence submitted and decide whether they think the decision under appeal remains the correct one. If the decision maker makes a new, more advantageous decision then the appeal can lapse.

Personal Independence Payment: Tribunals

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Tribunal Statistics Quarterly: January to March 2022, published on 9 June 2022, which showed 72 per cent of Personal Independence Payment tribunals overturning decisions in favour of the claimant, what assessment she has made of the performance of Capita and Independent Assessment Services.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the findings of Tribunal Statistics Quarterly: January to March 2022, published 9 June 2022, on the proportion of Employment Support Allowance tribunal decisions overturned in favour of the claimants, what recent assessment she has made of the performance of the Health Assessment Advisory Service.

Chloe Smith: Entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payment is determined by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) decision makers, based on all the evidence received, including that from the claimant, their health professionals and advice from the assessment providers (APs). The main reasons decisions are overturned on appeal are; tribunals drawing a different conclusion based on the same evidence, cogent oral evidence given by the individual, or new written evidence provided at the hearing. These are complex benefits where evidential issues clearly impact outcomes. There is a comprehensive performance regime which drives the APs to meet stringent quality standards. Through robust contract management processes and by working in partnership, we continually monitor and work with APs to manage performance and obtain maximum value. If they are unable to meet our expectations, we will work with them to address any issues, whilst seeking any financial compensation as appropriate under the terms of the contract.

Industrial Diseases Benefits: Compensation

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has for the future of the (a) Pneumoconiosis Workers' Compensation Scheme and (b) 2008 Diffuse Mesothelioma Scheme.

Chloe Smith: There are currently no plans to make any significant changes to either scheme.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2022 to Question 103610, on Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations, if she will place the most recent quarterly satisfaction ratings for disability benefit assessments by Atos, Capita and Maximus in the House of Commons Library.

Chloe Smith: We will not be placing the most recent quarterly satisfaction ratings in the House of Commons Library because they are already available in the Cabinet Office Key Performance Indicators documents published on GOV.UK.

Employment: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies of the response from individual disabled people to the health and disability green paper in summer 2021; and whether her Department plans to review its approach to consulting disabled people for the consultation on the forthcoming health and disability white paper.

Chloe Smith: We received over 4,500 responses to the public consultation on Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper and we are very grateful to all the individuals and organisations who have contributed. Throughout the consultation period itself, we held more than 40 events with disabled people, people with health conditions and their representatives, including a series of virtual events as well as face-to-face events across Great Britain. Many charities helped us to run events by organising for their users to attend and speak to us about the areas of the Green Paper that were most important to them. We will respond to the consultation responses through the Health and Disability White Paper that we will publish later this year and will continue to engage with disabled people and people with health conditions regularly.

Commonwealth: Pensioners

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps her Department has taken to support UK pensioners who are living in Commonwealth countries.

Guy Opperman: The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions, and we continue to up-rate it abroad where there is a legal requirement to do so – for example where there is a reciprocal agreement that provides for up-rating.People move abroad for many reasons and it is their own choice to do so. There is information available in leaflets and on GOV.UK on how to claim State Pension from overseas and on what the effect of going abroad will be on entitlement to the UK State Pension.

Employment: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department requires assessor companies to report on the number of disabled and seriously unwell people who have requested that their assessment be audio recorded.

Chloe Smith: At present, there is no contractual requirement for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Health and Disability Assessment Services (HDAS) assessment providers to report on the number of claimants who have requested their assessment be audio recorded.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the objective set out in the health and disability green paper on improving the quality of decision-making for Personal Independence Payments, if she will commission an independent audit of a sample of people who were unsuccessful at mandatory reconsideration who did not go on to lodge an appeal against that decision.

Chloe Smith: It has always been our aim to make the right decision, from the earliest engagement with a customer and including at Mandatory Reconsideration stage. Consequently, we have introduced a new approach to Decision Making at both the initial decision and the Mandatory Reconsideration stage, giving Decision Makers additional time to proactively contact customers where they think additional evidence may support the claim. A similar approach applies at the appeal stage where new evidence is provided that may alter the decision. We want to improve the experience of disabled people and people with health conditions in the decision-making process so that fewer people need a Mandatory Reconsideration or appeal. This includes doing more to improve evidence gathering and decision making to ensure that the right decision is made first time.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2022 to Question 128374, on Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations, if she will instruct officials to undertake an independent audit of the accuracy of surveys undertaken by her Department’s contracted assessor companies.

Chloe Smith: The department currently has no intention to undertake an independent audit of the accuracy of the customer satisfaction surveys. Independent Assessment Services (IAS), Capita and Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA) customer satisfaction surveys are undertaken by independent third parties in line with the requirements of their individual contracts. Customer satisfaction rate is a Service Level Agreement within the contracts which attracts service credits for failure. All providers have consistently exceeded their customer satisfaction targets. Furthermore, we regularly review survey responses and feedback with providers, to identify any issues or trends and help us manage the performance of these contracts.

Employment: Languages

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to provide support into employment that is appropriate to skills and language capabilities for (a) Afghans, (b) Ukranians and (c) Hong Kongers.

Mims Davies: Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches are trained to consider a person's circumstances and to tailor support according to their individual needs. Staff complete claimant awareness training that covers a wide range of claimant circumstances and have access to information on services and support available in their local area for claimants who have complex needs, including referral to English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) if appropriate. Communications have been delivered to all sites to ensure our staff are aware of any specific support available for those individuals following events in Afghanistan, Ukraine and Hong Kong.

Employment: Older People

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the employment rate among people within five years of the statutory retirement age.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the final year before they reach the statutory retirement age.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who are not engaged in the labour market aged 50 to 64 in each of the last three years.

Mims Davies: Now that the Default Retirement Age has been abolished most people can work for as long as they want to and are able.The Government recognises the challenges faced by people aged 50 and over. Therefore, we are providing over £20 million over the next three years for a new enhanced offer for workers over the age of 50 to help them to stay in or return to work. This offer will ensure that older job seekers receive more intensive, tailored support as part of their Universal Credit claim and will give Work Coaches more time to spend with older job seekers who have recently become unemployed. The 50PLUS Champions network also provides dedicated support to Work Coaches to enable them to effectively direct suitable support to claimants who are aged 50 and over. The available information is set out below.The employment rate of 60-64 year olds is contained in the table below:  Employment rate Apr-Jun 2021Aged 60-6454.5%Source: Economic labour market status of individuals aged 50 and over 2021 The number of people claiming unemployment related benefits is contained in the table below. The Claimant Count measures the number of people claiming benefit principally for the reason of being unemployed. The available age breakdown is 65 and over, so this will include some people on the claimant count who are over State Pension age.  Claimant Count May 2022Aged 65+24,990Source: NOMIS June 2022 The number of 50-64 year olds who are economically inactive in each of the last three years is contained in the table below:  Inactivity levelFeb-Apr 20203,308,000Feb-Apr 20213,443,000Feb-Apr 20223,519,000Source: Table A05SA, Labour Market Overview June 2022

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Package Holidays: Animal Welfare

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a domestic ban on the (a) advertising and (b) offering for sale of attractions, activities or experiences abroad that involve (i) elephant rides and (ii) other forms of exploitation of animals.

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to introduce a ban on the domestic (a) advertising and (b) sale of wild animal experiences, including elephant rides overseas.

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will introduce a ban on the domestic (a) advertising and (b) sale of (i) elephant rides and (ii) other wild animal experiences overseas.

Jo Churchill: This Government takes the welfare of all animals seriously and the Government has been made aware that animals including Asian elephants, that are part of tourist attractions, can be subjected to cruel and brutal training practices to ensure their compliance. As set out in our Action Plan for Animal Welfare, we are committed to promoting high animal welfare standards, both at home and abroad. We have engaged with the travel industry and other stakeholder organisations, and we support measures which ensure that money from tourists from this country is not channelled towards animal experiences abroad that involve the unacceptable treatment of animals.The Government is committed to exploring available options to deliver the action plan, including to limit the advertising and offering for sale of these experiences.

Elephants: Animal Welfare

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prevent stop tourist companies promoting holidays that support cruel treatment of captive Asian elephants.

Jo Churchill: This Government takes the welfare of all animals seriously and the Government has been made aware that animals including Asian elephants, that are part of tourist attractions, can be subjected to cruel and brutal training practices to ensure their compliance. As set out in our Action Plan for Animal Welfare, we are committed to promoting high animal welfare standards, both at home and abroad. We have engaged with the travel industry and other stakeholder organisations, and we support measures which ensure that money from tourists from this country is not channelled towards animal experiences abroad that involve the unacceptable treatment of animals. The Government is committed to exploring available options to deliver the action plan, including to limit the advertising and offering for sale of these experiences.

South West Water: Rebates

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to cease the £50 Government contribution to water bills for South West Water customers in 2022-23.

Rebecca Pow: As confirmed with South West Water in December 2021, we have extended the water rebate for those in the South West until 31 March 2023.

Floods: Housing

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Flood Re scheme, what his planned timetable is for members of the public being able to apply for Build Back Better funding to repair their properties after a flooding event.

Rebecca Pow: From April 2022 changes to the Flood Re scheme allow insurers who cede policies to the scheme to pay claims which include an amount of resilient repair (build back better) up to a value of £10,000 over and above the cost of like-for-like reinstatement of actual flood damage. The first five insurers, covering over 50 per cent of the insurance market, have committed to participate in Build Back Better and will be ready to offer it to their customers during 2022 and early 2023. We expect more insurers to follow. Following a flood, customers should contact their insurer as soon as possible to start the claims and reinstatement process.

Food Supply: Cost of Living

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the rise in the cost of living on food producers.

Victoria Prentis: The turbulence of the market in light of the invasion of Ukraine, and the global spike in oil and gas prices, has brought into focus again the importance of a resilient global supply chain and the importance to our national resilience of having strong domestic food production. Farmers are facing increased input costs including for fertiliser, feed and fuel. We continue to keep the market situation under review through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments. We have also increased our engagement with industry to supplement our analysis with real time intelligence. We have recognised that increasing input costs, particularly fertiliser, feed, fuel and energy, are creating short term pressures on cash flow for farmers. The Government has taken a number of actions to support farmers. These include changes to statutory guidance to the Environment Agency on how they should implement the "Farming Rules for Water" to provide clarity to farmers on how they can use slurry and other manures during autumn and winter to meet agronomic needs; increased grants funding to help farmers and growers boost research and development; and a delay to changes to the use of urea by at least a year. When the urea restrictions are introduced, they will be related to the use of ammonia inhibitors rather than a complete ban. The Government has also announced that Direct Payments in England will be paid in two instalments each year for the remainder of the agricultural transition period, to help farmers with their cashflow.

Agriculture

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to support farmers from rising input costs.

Victoria Prentis: We have recognised that increasing input costs, particularly fertiliser, feed, fuel and energy, are creating short term pressures on cash flow. The Secretary of State recently announced a range of measures in support of the current situation, such as delaying changes to the use of urea fertiliser to help farmers manage their costs and improving statutory guidance for use of slurry. On 31 March I also hosted the first meeting of the Fertiliser Taskforce with key industry bodies to discuss potential mitigations to the challenges which global supply pressures are causing. Ministers will continue to meet with key industry bodies for further Fertiliser Taskforce sessions in the coming months, to help identify and mitigate potential risks. In addition, the 2022 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payment will be made in two instalments to give farmers an advance injection of cash. Farmers with eligible applications will receive half of their payment from the end of July, and the rest from December. By doing this, the Government intends to inject cash into farm businesses, helping them to make business decisions sooner, with more confidence. This builds on the increase in revenue payment rates for the Countryside Stewardship scheme to reflect the change in costs since 2013, which Defra announced in January 2022. The majority of payment rates increased, on average by around 30%, although rate changes vary from option to option. These changes affected around 30,000 agreements. In March 2022, Defra began rolling out the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) to recipients of the BPS. SFI will help with the costs of sowing nitrogen fixing plants and green manures in crops to substitute some fertiliser requirements for the coming season, as well as reducing the dependence on manufactured fertilisers which are impacted by the price of gas. Rising fertiliser prices highlight that we need to find alternatives and move towards more organic-based fertiliser products. SFI is designed to help farmers move to these new sustainable farming methods gradually - which will improve environmental conditions of the land, while building the long-term resilience of our food security and production We continue to keep the market situation under review through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments. We have also increased our engagement with industry to supplement our analysis with real time intelligence.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has removed the requirement to be an active farmer to claim funding from the Basic Payment Scheme.

Victoria Prentis: You must be a farmer to claim under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and must have land ‘at your disposal’. This means, for example, that where land is let under a Farm Business Tenancy, it is the tenant and not the landlord who can use that land to claim BPS. Previously the BPS rules included an active farmer test. We removed this in 2018 because it was ineffective and created unnecessary confusion for farmers.

Pet Travel Scheme

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to introduce mandatory visual checks on (a) dogs and (b) other animals entering the country via the Pet Travel Scheme.

Victoria Prentis: We operate one of the most rigorous and robust pet travel checking regimes in Europe. All non-commercial cats, dogs and ferrets entering Great Britain on approved routes (every route other than Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Crown Dependencies) under the pet travel rules undergo 100% documentary and identity checks by authorised pet checkers. To enter Great Britain pets must have been implanted with a microchip or have a legible tattoo imprinted prior to 3 July 2011. A pet's identity is checked by ensuring that the microchip or tattoo details correspond to the details in the pet's documentation. Carriers can refer suspected non-compliances to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). APHA staff are highly trained to deal with intercepted shipments. We have no plans to introduce further visual checks. APHA works collaboratively with Border Force and other operational partners at ports, airports and inland, sharing intelligence to enforce the pet travel rules, disrupt illegal imports, safeguard the welfare of animals and seize non-compliant animals. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was reintroduced following the Queen's speech and will progress to Report stage in the commons as soon as parliamentary time allows. The Bill allows us to further protect the welfare of pets by introducing restrictions to crack down on the low welfare movements of pets into Great Britain and includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation.

Deer and Sheep: Dogs

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May to Question 1492 on Livestock and Wildlife: Dogs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential difficulties of introducing dogs gradually and positively to (a) sheep and (b) deer using reward-based training methods.

Victoria Prentis: Defra understands that the right approach for pet owners to take in managing and controlling their dog’s behaviour differs from both person to person and from pet to pet. Consequently the department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the potential difficulties of gradually introducing dogs to livestock but instead, and as stated in answer to Question 1492, advises owners who are concerned about controlling their dog’s behaviour, for whatever reason, to take advice from their vet or a suitably qualified dog behaviourist or trainer. Such specialists would be best positioned to advise on the best approach for their specific case and can be located through The Animal Behaviour and Training Council which can be found at: https://abtc.org.uk/practitioners/.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department has spent on badger TB vaccination programmes in each of the last five years.

Jo Churchill: Defra spend on badger TB vaccination programmes since 2017 is as follows: Financial yearAmount2017/2018£4,1252018/2019£67,1912019/2020£98,7602020/2021£181,6852021/2022£576,8222022/2023 (up to 20 June 2022)£10,124  TOTAL£938,707 These numbers do not cover the work to develop and license BadgerBCG. The costs of bovine TB-related badger vaccine work by the Animal and Plant Health Agency and predecessor bodies are accounted for separately by the relevant executive Agencies.

Animal Feed: Prices

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government taking to tackle animal feed inflation.

Victoria Prentis: Agricultural commodity prices are closely linked to global gas prices. Farmers are facing increased input costs including for fertiliser, feed and fuel, which we recognise are creating short-term pressures on cash flow. On 6 May, the Government announced further steps to support farmers with cost pressures caused by demand and instability seen across the globe. Under the latest plans, Direct Payments in England will be paid in two instalments each year for the remainder of the agricultural transition period, to help farmers with their cashflow. Successfully concluding the removal of Section 232 tariffs on UK steel and aluminium exports to the United States (US) has allowed us to remove the 25% tariff on maize imports from the US, a key ingredient for animal feed. This is a particularly important step in opening up alternative sourcing options, relieving pressure felt elsewhere in the market. Defra continues to work on removing technical barriers to trade in sourcing maize from the US, such as GM approvals. The Food Standards Agency laid the first authorisation Statutory Instrument for nine GMO events (one soyabean and eight maize) on 28 April [in England and Wales, 21 April in Scotland] with a coming into force date of 20 May [for England and Wales, 31 May for Scotland]. We continue to keep the market situation under review, by working closely with industry-led groups and key stakeholders to monitor the position on animal feed. This includes both availability and price of animal feed ingredients for all species and to identify where further mitigations may be available.

Neonicotinoids

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications of neonicotinoid pesticides have been agreed for actual use in 2022 in the UK.

Victoria Prentis: In 2021, the Health and Safety Executive received an application from the National Farmers Union and British Sugar seeking emergency authorisation for the use of a neonicotinoid product as a seed treatment on sugar beet. The product is ‘Cruiser SB’ which provides protection against a range of pests and the viruses which they transmit.We have issued, with strict conditions an emergency authorisation to use a product containing a neonicotinoid to treat sugar beet seed in England on the 2022 crop. Further information on the authorisation decision can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/neonicotinoid-product-as-seed-treatment-for-sugar-beet-emergency-authorisation-applicationThere are authorised pesticides containing acetamiprid, which is not covered by the restrictions applying to other neonicotinoids as it is not found to carry an unacceptable environmental risk.

Pesticides

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has finished reviewing the recommendations of the Health and Safety Executive review of pesticide regulations; and whether he has plans to allow for uncertified voluntary conservation workers to return to using glyphosate solution under direct supervision from properly certified professional staff.

Victoria Prentis: Defra has not yet finished reviewing the recommendations of the Health and Safety Executive’s review of pesticide regulations. Therefore, the department has no immediate plans to allow for uncertified voluntary conservation workers to return to using glyphosate solution. Now that we have left the EU and are in control of our own laws, we are in a position to take forward reforms to our pesticides regulatory regime to ensure that it is tailored to the GB context. We are looking to ways in which we can ensure future regulation is fit for purpose – protecting the environment and the public along with effectively supporting productive and competitive agriculture and horticulture. This will be set out in the National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides to be published later this year.

Marine Environment: North East

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2022 to Question 127313, on Marine Environment: North East, how many further mass deaths of aquatic life have been recorded in the same region since that date, when he plans to publish detailed results of that investigation; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Prentis: Pursuant to my Answer of 25 February 2022 to Question 127313, I can confirm that following a multi-agency response, our report of the investigation has been published, and is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-agency-investigation-into-teesside-and-yorkshire-coast-crab-and-lobster-mortalities. No single, consistent causative factor was identified, but a harmful algal bloom present in the area coincident with the event was considered significant and identified as the most likely cause. Defra is continuing to work closely with authorities including those in the North East to continue to monitor the situation. Local reports of new, recent incidents are being investigated and the situation is being carefully monitored.

Animal Products and Food: Standards

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the loss of membership to the European Commission's trade control and expert system on the UK's ability to uphold biological security in animal and food products.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK's loss of membership to the European Commission's Animal Disease Information System on the ability to protect the UK from infectious animal diseases.

Victoria Prentis: Since 1 January 2021, the UK has put in place strict biosecurity controls on the highest risk imports of animals, animal products, plants and plant products from the EU. These controls on the highest risk goods remain in place. We have established mechanisms in place to stop products from being exported to Great Britain from known areas with a significant pest or disease. Given the fact we have close alignment and strong knowledge of the EU rules, we can continue to have a high degree of confidence in biosecurity associated with those imports. The UK’s departure from the EU means that we now have the regulatory powers to create a world leading border that enhances and protects our high biosecurity standards. Since leaving the EU we continue to check imports of the highest risk commodities, ensuring that the biosecurity of our animals and food products is maintained. Defra constantly monitors any emerging disease and pest risks and stand ready to implement tougher import restrictions should risk levels rise.

Construction: Noise

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to restrict noise pollution created by construction work.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of legislating to allow local authorities to take additional action to restrict noise-pollution caused by construction work sector at specific times of the year.

Jo Churchill: There are a range of legal protections in place to deal with construction noise.The Control of Pollution Act 1974 already enables local authorities to serve a notice imposing requirements on construction or demolition works. This includes the hours during which the works may be carried out, recognising the importance of balancing noise management with the need to carry out vital construction, demolition and improvement works. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, local authorities are responsible for investigating complaints of noise nuisance including construction noise that either substantially interferes with the use or enjoyment of a home or business premises.During the COVID pandemic, the Government issued temporary revised guidance which encouraged a flexible approach to the enforcement of planning conditions controlling construction site working hours. This flexible approach came to an end on 30 September 2021.

Home Office

Radicalism: Greater Manchester

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre's 2010 report into extremism in Manchester.

Damian Hinds: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Conflict: Libya

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy was on UK citizens travelling to fight in Libya during the war in that country which began in 2011, including the placing of restrictions on people wishing to travel there.

Damian Hinds: The Government’s priority is the safety and security of the UK and the people who live here.The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advise against all travel to Libya. This advice has been in place consistently since 2014. During the 2011 conflict, FCDO clearly advised against all travel to Libya, however, in light of the improving security situation between September 2011 and 2014, the FCDO downgraded advice in some areas, including Tripoli and Benghazi, to advise against all but essential travel. A range of tools are available to disrupt those who wish to engage in criminal activity abroad. Since 2013, royal prerogative powers can be exercised against British passport holders to refuse to issue or cancel a British passport on public interest grounds.To counter the threat we face from people travelling for terrorism-related purposes, schedule 1 to the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 enables police officers at ports to seize and temporarily retain travel documents to disrupt immediate travel, when they reasonably suspect that a person intends to travel to engage in terrorism related activity outside of the UK.Depending on the nature of activity and the circumstances in which it was carried out, travel to engage in overseas conflict could potentially give rise to offences under UK law, including terrorism offences, and war crimes. Where individuals do return, they should expect to be investigated and, where there is evidence that crimes have been committed, they should expect to face prosecution. Any decision to prosecute will be a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) - both the police and CPS are operationally independent of Government.

Refugees: Afghanistan

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan nationals have been relocated to the UK from Afghanistan via the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme in each month since January 2022.

Kevin Foster: Over 15,000 people were supported to come to the UK directly during Operation Pitting, and more than 4000 have since arrived.Work is underway to ensure information relating to all the individuals relocated under all schemes are recorded on case working systems. Once this work concludes, statistics on ACRS and ARAP will be included in future editions of the Immigration Statistics.

Asylum: Housing

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her target date is for the completion of her full dispersal accommodation plan for asylum seekers.

Kevin Foster: On 13 April the Minister for Safe and Legal Migration announced the Home Office would move, with immediate effect, to a policy of full dispersal for the procurement asylum accommodation. We are working in partnership with local authorities to develop full dispersal plans down to a region/nation level. Whilst these plans are being developed procurement under this policy has commenced and any properties procured during the interim period will be accounted for in region/nations plans. This process is being informed by the informal consultation which was launched on 9 May and closes on 1 July.

Visas: Applications

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is taking steps to reduce the 24 week maximum standard service time for family visa applications.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office is currently prioritising Ukraine Visa Schemes applications in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Staff from other government departments, including DWP and HMRC, are being surged into the Home Office to help with Ukraine work and enable other normal visa routes to return to normal service levels.

Asylum: Applications

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to reduce the amount of time it takes to process asylum visa applications.

Kevin Foster: To help reduce the amount of time it takes to process asylum applications we are investing in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives to speed up and simplify our processes, reduce the time people spend in the asylum system and decrease the number of people who are awaiting an interview or decision. These initiatives include conducting shorter, more focused interviews or omitting interviews where it is appropriate to do so, streamlining decision templates and focusing on improving quality to ensure decisions are right first time. We have introduced specialist Decision Making Units, providing greater ownership and management of cohorts of asylum cases. Additionally, we have extensive ongoing recruitment and training plans in place, including career progression options to aid the retention of staff. We are continuing to develop existing and new technology to help build on recent improvements such as digital interviewing and move away from a paper-based system. We are streamlining and digitising the case working process to enable more effective workflow, appointment booking and decision-making.

Gender Based Violence

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to tackle violence against women and girls.

Rachel Maclean: Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a government priority. VAWG is an unacceptable, preventable issue which blights the lives of millions.In July 2021 we published our cross-Government Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy to help ensure that women and girls are safe everywhere - at home, online and on the streets.The Strategy commits to a number of actions and we are already making progress. This includes:supporting the introduction of a new full-time National Policing Lead for Violence Against Women and Girls – with DCC Maggie Blyth now in post;a new national communications campaign, Enough, with a focus on targeting perpetrators and harmful misogynistic attitudes, educating young people about healthy relationships and ensuring victims can access support. This has been developed in close collaboration with the VAWG sector, academics and survivors, the campaign launched on 1 March 2022;working to criminalise virginity testing through the Health and Social Care Act to send a clear message that this practice is wholly unacceptable in our society; andappointing joint Transport Champions to help make public transport safer for women and girls.This was followed by a complementary cross-Government Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan which we published in March 2022.The Plan invests over £230 million into tackling this heinous crime. This includes over £140 million for supporting victims and over £81 million for tackling perpetrators. £47 million of this will be ringfenced over three years for community-based services to support victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence.The successful implementation of these commitments will be overseen by the Violence Against Women and Girls Inter-Ministerial Group.These measures will help further transform the response to these crimes, from prevention and raising awareness, improving support to victims and survivors, to ensuring perpetrators are brought to justice.

Visas: Married People

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of spousal visa applications that are awaiting determination; what plans she has to reduce any backlog; and what timescale she expects any backlog to be eliminated.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office is currently prioritising Ukraine Visa Schemes applications in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Data is not published on the number of applications which are outstanding. The transparency data does, however, include a range of processing data and the latest data can be found at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Staff from other government departments, including DWP and HMRC, are being surged into the Home Office to help with Ukraine work and enable other normal visa routes to return to normal service levels.

Visas: Applications

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken is for UK Visas and Immigration to process a visa application.

Kevin Foster: UKVI offers a range of service levels for applications which include Standard service (15 working days), Priority service (5 working days), and Super Priority service (next day) after a customer has provided their biometrics. UKVI made a decision to prioritise the Ukraine Schemes following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Resources are now being returned to focus on visa routes impacted by these prioritisation decisions which will reduce average processing times in due course. We continue to prioritise any urgent compelling or compassionate cases across all workstreams and are working to reduce the current processing times as quickly as possible. For Standard applications lodged outside the UK, the current average processing time is as follows:Visitors – 6 weeksStudents – 5 weeksWork – 5 weeksJoining Family – up to 24 weeksFurther information can be found at Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and this is regularly updated.  For Standard applications lodged inside the UK, the current average processing times are not published though all routes are currently within the published service standards which are: Switching/Extending a Student, Family, Ancestry, Work, Visitor, or Graduate Visa – 8 weeksSwitching/Extending a Hong Kong British National (Overseas) Visa – 12 weeksApplying for Settlement - within 6 months Further information is published at Visa decision waiting times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Migrant Workers: Broadband

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the potential impact of visa application processes for EU workers on the rollout of superfast broadband.

Kevin Foster: The Home Secretary has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues, including the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, about the Points-Based Immigration System, which applies globally not based on whether someone holds an EU passport or not.The Skilled Worker route already provides an opportunity to recruit workers on a global basis into several roles in the telecommunications sector.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the funding of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (a) in 2022-23 and (b) anticipated over the next three years, in the context of its (i) geography and (ii) population.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fire and Rescue Services: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding levels for fire and rescue services (a) in 2022-23 and (b) anticipated over the next three years, in the context of the range of services they provide.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fire and Rescue Services: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make a comparative assessment of the adequacy of the funding allocated to (a) North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and (b) all other fire and rescue authorities in 2022-23, in the context of their different (i) population sizes and (ii) geographical spread.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Ukraine

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment has she made of the adequacy of financial support available to participants in the Ukraine Family Scheme compared to those participating in the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas: Applications

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of visa applications initiated with UK Visas and Immigration were resolved within (a) two weeks, (b) four weeks, (c) eight weeks, (d) 12 weeks and (e) more than 12 weeks in each year between 2018 and 2022.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of visa applications initiated with UK Visas and Immigration were resolved within (a) two weeks, (b) four weeks, (c) eight weeks, (d) 12 weeks and (e) more than 12 weeks in the calendar year 2022.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office does not publish data on which applications are resolved within two weeks, four weeks, eight weeks, 12 weeks or more than 12 weeks. To capture this data would exceed cost threshold.It does publish data of its performance against its service level agreement, which can be found on the GOV.UK webpage: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

HM Passport Office

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of cases initiated with the Passport Office were resolved within (a) two weeks, (b) four weeks, (c) eight weeks, (d) 12 weeks and (e) more than 12 weeks in each year between 2018 and 2022.

Kevin Foster: Since April 2021, people have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport as more than 5 million people delayed applying due to the pandemic. Between March and May, 98.5% of UK applications processed were completed within ten weeks.

Passports: Applications

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of passport applications initiated with the Passport Office were resolved within (a) two weeks, (b) four weeks, (c) eight weeks, (d) 12 weeks and (e) more than 12 weeks in the calendar year 2022.

Kevin Foster: Prior to 6 April 2021, the published processing times for standard applications from the UK were six weeks for over-16s applying for their first British passport, and three weeks for all other application types.   Since this date, people have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport as more than 5 million people delayed applying due to the pandemic. Between March and May 2022, 98.5% of UK applications processed were completed within ten weeks.

HM Passport Office: Disability Aids

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to passport application PEX3540953689, what steps she is taking to ensure Passport Office staff are aware of (a) BT's Relay UK Service and (b) their equality obligations to people with hearing impairments.

Kevin Foster: The Passport Adviceline, which is provided by Teleperformance, is the first point of contact for enquiries about a passport application. Customers can use telephone, textphone, online enquiry forms, and webchat to make contact.Information about free services and facilities to help with a passport application if you’re disabled can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/passport-services-disabled We do not comment publicly on individual cases.

Birth Certificates

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department takes to support people with no birth record to receive a certification of their birth.

Kevin Foster: Civil registration in the UK is a devolved matter and there are separate systems in place for Scotland and Northern Ireland.For births occurring in England and Wales, a birth certificate can be issued once the birth has been registered. Although the law requires births to be registered within 42 days, they can still be registered after this time where sufficient evidence of the date and place of birth is provided.

Passports: Applications

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of passport applications submitted to HM Passport Office were processed in (a) less than four, (b) less than six, (c) less than ten and (d) more than ten weeks in each month since January 2022.

Kevin Foster: Since April 2021, people have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport as more than 5 million people delayed applying due to the pandemic.Between March and May, 98.5% of UK applications processed were completed within ten weeks, and 91% in six weeks..

Passports: Applications

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications are currently being processed by HM Passport Office; and how many passport applications are taking longer than 10 week estimated processing time.

Kevin Foster: Since April 2021, people have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport as more than 5 million people delayed applying due to the pandemic.Between March and May, 98.5% of UK applications processed were completed within ten weeks.

Police: Information

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many PIN notices have been issued by each constabulary in each of the last 5 years.

Kit Malthouse: PINS are non-legislative tools and the Home Office has not collected information centrally on the number issued.Responsibility for the publication of information by a police force sits with the Chief Constable. However, on the basis of information provided by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Home Office considers that the number of PINs issued since 2020 is likely to have been close to zero.

Asylum: Rwanda

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost is of the charter flight to take asylum seekers to Rwanda on 14 June 2022; and whether that cost will be paid in full in the event that there are no asylum seekers on that flight.

Tom Pursglove: Our priority will always be to keep our communities safe, and we make no apology for seeking to remove those with no right to remain in the UK. Charter flight operations are an important means to remove individuals with no right to remain in the UK where there are limited scheduled routes. We manage the charter programme flexibly, balancing it with use of scheduled flights to best respond to operational needs. Costs for individual flights will vary based on a number of different factors and are regularly reviewed to ensure that best value for money is balanced against the need to remove those individuals with no right to remain in the UK. The endless merry go round of late legal claims – which are often unfounded or without merit – can result in people being removed from flights at the last minute. However, our New Plan for Immigration will stop the abuse of the system and expedite the removal of those who have no right to be here.

Asylum: Rwanda

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the deportation flight scheduled for Rwanda at 22:30 on 14 June 2022 from Stansted Airport, what the cost of that flight to the public purse is; and whether the Government has taken steps to ensure that there will be no cost to the public purse in the event that no deportee is a passenger on that flight.

Tom Pursglove: Our priority will always be to keep our communities safe, and we make no apology for seeking to remove those with no right to remain in the UK. Charter flight operations are an important means to remove individuals with no right to remain in the UK where there are limited scheduled routes. We manage the charter programme flexibly, balancing it with use of scheduled flights to best respond to operational needs. Costs for individual flights will vary based on a number of different factors and are regularly reviewed to ensure that best value for money is balanced against the need to remove those individuals with no right to remain in the UK. The endless merry go round of late legal claims – which are often unfounded or without merit – can result in people being removed from flights at the last minute. However, our New Plan for Immigration will stop the abuse of the system and expedite the removal of those who have no right to be here.

Home Office: Video Recordings

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2022 to Question 11691 on Home Office: Photographs and Video Recordings, (a) at what band-equivalent each videographer was employed at and (b) which contractor was used.

Tom Pursglove: The videographers are part of the HO social media team and video production is their primary responsibility as part of this team.

Asylum: Rwanda

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the cost to the public purse of the legal challenges faced by her Department relating to the flight which was scheduled to take place on 14 June 2022 to remove people to Rwanda.

Tom Pursglove: The costs of our broken asylum system are at a 20 year record high, currently costing the UK taxpayer over £1.5bn a year, with £4.7 million a day being spent on hotels alone. This cannot continue – and the partnership with Rwanda is a key part of our plans to reform the system and put an end to unsustainable costs which impact the taxpayer. The Government’s efforts to facilitate entirely legitimate and legal returns of people who have entered the UK illegally are too often frustrated by late challenges submitted hours before the flight. These claims are very often baseless and entirely without merit but are given full legal consideration which can lead to removal being rescheduled. Costs for individual flights and legal services will vary based on a number of different factors and are regularly reviewed to ensure that best value for money is balanced against the need to remove those individuals with no right to remain in the UK.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people smugglers who aid migrants to illegally cross the English Channel have been (a) identified and (b) prosecuted by the Government in each month since January 2021.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases there are before the courts involving people smuggling.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff does her Department employ specifically to identify people smugglers aiding migrants cross the Channel.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people the Government has successfully prosecuted for people smuggling since 12 December 2019.

Tom Pursglove: 18772:2021ArrestsConvictionsJan1017Feb145Mar159Apr194May287Jun3513Jul171Aug67Sep2011Oct156Nov168Dec412Grand Total199100 2022ArrestsConvictionsJan35Feb43Mar185Apr131May102Grand Total4816 18773:Criminal & Financial Investigation teams currently have 74 live people smuggling cases that are considered ‘Post Charge’. These are cases where charging of suspect(s) has been agreed by the CPS. These will be at various stages of the court process, ranging from being warned for court, to a trial being underway and to trial concluded, but awaiting sentencing.18774:Immigration Enforcement have 550 funded FTE for Criminal & Financial Investigation teams to tackle immigration crime.18775: YearConvictions12th Dec 2019 Onwards3202014720211002022 YTD16Grand Total266 The 2022 total year to date only takes into account prosecutions until the end of May, which makes the number appear artificially low. There are still cases ongoing and the numbers of convictions is expected to increase.

Members: Correspondence

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the email correspondence of 28 April from the hon. Member for Glasgow East, reference DL10729.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 17 June 2022.

Members: Correspondence

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Minister for Safe and Legal Migration plans to respond to the correspondence of 25 April 2022 from the hon. Member for Glasgow East, reference DL11740.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 17 June 2022.

Members: Correspondence

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the email correspondence of 4 May 2022 from the hon. Member for Glasgow, reference DL11455.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 17 June 2022

Refugees: Afghanistan

Ms Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the number of Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) cases that were formerly ARAP cases; when the oldest ACRS application still in process was submitted; the number of staff appointed to deal with the ACRS cases; the number of ACRS applications that have been closed due to the applicant either being killed or dying; and the number of ACRS applicants on the Taliban Kill list.

Kevin Foster: Over 15,000 people were supported to come to the UK directly following the evacuation of Afghanistan, and more than 4,000 have since arrived. Work is underway to ensure information relating to all the individuals relocated under all schemes are recorded on case working systems. Once this work concludes, statistics on ACRS and ARAP will be included in future editions of the Immigration Statistics. We will publish resettlement figures in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, allowing transparent progress-monitoring. The ACRS is not application-based. Instead, eligible people will be prioritised for resettlement through three referral pathways. Some of those brought to safety in the UK during and after the evacuation are eligible for the ACRS under Pathway 1. They include women’s rights activists, journalists, and prosecutors, as well as the Afghan families of British Nationals. We have now granted many of these ILR under the ACRS. Under the newly-opened second pathway, we are now able to begin receiving referrals from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) of vulnerable refugees who have fled Afghanistan for resettlement to the UK. The FCDO have also launched the third referral pathway, which will see eligible British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni considered for resettlement to the UK. We are committed to ensuring our operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective system, and we actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand, including from pressures relating to the situations in Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Police Deaths on Duty

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of the introduction of a posthumous Elizabeth medal to recognise police officers who lose their lives on the front line of policing.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will take steps to improve public recognition of the sacrifice made by police officers killed in service.

Kit Malthouse: It is important that we recognise the vital role the police play in society. This is never more true than when officers and staff make the ultimate sacrifice in order to help keep us safe. That is why the Government supported the creation of the National Police Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum and enshrined the Police Covenant in law.All UK honours and medals are in the personal gift of HM The Queen under the Royal prerogative. The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medal (HD Committee) gives advice to The Queen on honours matters, including new forms of official national recognition.The Honours and Appointments Secretariat in the Cabinet Office supports the Committee and will consider the options for recognition.

Motor Vehicles: Recovery Orders

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she will publish the updated statutory fees guidance for recovery operators.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office does not issue statutory fees guidance. The Home Office’s role is limited to setting the statutory fees which the Police and National Highways can levy when they have exercised their vehicle recovery powers.In May 2021, the Home Office launched a consultation seeking views on new levels of fees applied to the removal, storage and disposal of vehicles in England and Wales.We will shortly announce the next steps following our consultation.

Special Constables: Recruitment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has plans to encourage recruitment of special constables by using financial incentives.

Kit Malthouse: The Government recognises and values the professionalism, dedication and sacrifice shown by volunteers involved in policing. Special constables, along with the full range of police volunteers, make a vital contribution to keeping our communities safe. They bring diverse and valuable skills that complement the roles officers and staff play in delivering the best service to the public.It is up to Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to decide how best to recognise and reward their contribution and they have the flexibility to do so.

Firearms: Licensing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring each gun license in England to be reviewed once per annum.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a mandatory mental health assessment of anyone with a firearms license about whom a mental health concern is reported.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of strengthening the criteria required for people to hold a gun license.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to require all legal firearms to be stored at a designated gun club premises.

Kit Malthouse: Police forces are responsible for the issue of firearm and shotgun certificates and they undertake a number of checks before granting a certificate to ensure that the applicant is suitable and does not pose a risk to themselves or to others.New Statutory Guidance for the police on their firearms licensing functions, which came into effect on 1 November 2021, has strengthened these arrangements. In particular, the Statutory Guidance ensures that that no one is granted a firearm or shotgun certificate unless their doctor has confirmed to the police whether or not they have any relevant medical conditions, including in relation to their mental health.While firearm and shotgun certificates are valid for five years, the Statutory Guidance requires the police to maintain continuous assessment during the life of the certificate and the police have the power to revoke certificates and seize the holder’s shotguns or firearms if they assess that a risk to public safety has arisen during the life of the certificate.We have no plans to require all firearms and shotguns to be stored at designated gun club premises. The police assess the safe storage of firearms and shotguns as part of the licensing process. The Statutory Guidance requires a home visit to be carried out before granting a certificate, which will include an inspection of arrangements for the secure storage of firearms and shotguns while not in use. In addition, as part of continuous assessment, the police are able to undertake an unannounced visit or inspection of the certificate holder’s premises where it is judged necessary to do so, based on specific intelligence relating to a particular threat, or in relation to the risk of harm.

Special Constables: Recruitment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many special constables have been recruited by each constabulary in each of the last 5 years.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales on a biannual basis in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: Police workforce England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Information on the number of special constable joiners in the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, covering the situation to 31 March each year, from 2007 onwards can be found in the ‘Joiners Open Data Table’ available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1005766/open-data-table-police-workforce-joiners-280721.ods

Offences against Children

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme for parents with vulnerable children.

Rachel Maclean: The Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy 2021 set out a commitment to review the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, so that key adults are empowered with the advice and tools they need to identify risk and keep children safe from sexual abuse.An Annual Data Requirement for police forces was introduced in April 2021, requiring police forces in England and Wales to submit data on the number of applications made, how many related to registered sex offenders and how many resulted in disclosure. This management information being collated is relatively new, may be subject to change, and should be handled with caution, but there is evidence to suggest that more than 3,300 applications were made to the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme between April and December 2021.To further increase accessibility of the scheme, an online application route for the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme was piloted in 2021. An evaluation of the pilot phase was positive, showing the online form is easy and accessible to the public, and gathers the information the police need to begin the applications, which has led to the roll-out of this online application across the majority of forces in England and Wales.The Home Office is also working with policing and third-sector representatives to update the guidance and supporting materials for the scheme to ensure it is as effective and accessible as possible.

Police Community Support Officers

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the contribution of police community support officers in tackling neighbourhood crime; what estimate she has made of the number of police community support officers by police force area in each year since 2010; and whether her Department is taking steps to increase the number of police community support officers.

Kit Malthouse: Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) are a valued part of the police workforce, working as a key liaison point to help resolve local issues and foster good community relations.The Government has set out our commitment to reducing neighbourhood crimes through the Beating Crime Plan, published in July 2021. We have also invested £70 million over the first three rounds of the Safer Streets Fund to support local areas across England and Wales which are disproportionately impacted by crime. The fourth round of funding, which launched in March and closed for bids in May, is worth a further £75m and will include targeting anti-social behaviour alongside acquisitive crime and violence against women and girls in public spaces. This fourth round also allows areas to bid for funding for local policing interventions.Decisions about how police resources are deployed, including the number and composition of people in neighbourhood policing roles, are for Chief Constables and PCCs.As of 31 March 2021, there were 9,284 PCSOs (FTE) in England and Wales, a decrease of 45% compared to 31 March 2010 when there were 16,918 PCSOs (FTE).Decisions about how police resources are deployed, including the number and composition of people in neighbourhood policing roles, are for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.

Biometric Residence Permits

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what record her Department holds of applications for biometric residence cards received in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021 that were issued within the service standard time.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what records her Department holds on (a) asylum claims, (b) British passport applications and (c) biometric residence card applications that are undecided as of 8 June 2022.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office publishes data of its performance against its service level agreement, which can be found on the GOV.UK webpage: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Asylum: Children

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were accommodated by her Department without a local authority assuming responsibility for them between 22 February 2022 and 1 June 2022; and how many of those children were (a) accommodated in hotels upon or after arriving in the UK and (b) were aged (i) 10 and under and (ii) between 11 and 18 on arrival.

Kevin Foster: The number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children accommodated by the Home Office without a local authority assuming responsibility for them from 22 February 2022 to 1 June 2022 was 355, and they were all aged between 11 and 18 on arrival. The National Transfer Scheme (NTS) enables a more equitable distribution of responsibility for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) between local authorities across the UK. However, the high number of UASC arrivals, particularly as a result of small boat crossings, continues to place unprecedented pressure on the NTS. In November 2021, we took the decision to move to a directed NTS, in addition to the package of NTS improvements implemented in July 2021. Since 15 February all local authorities with children’s services in the UK have been directed to participate in the NTS. However, intake remains very high, and the situation remains challenging. Out of necessity with the children’s best interests in mind, we have therefore been required to accommodate UASC on an emergency and temporary basis in hotels whilst placements with local authorities have been vigorously pursued. We have put measures in place to ensure the immediate safeguarding and welfare needs of young people can be met whilst we find them more appropriate long-term care placements.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Children

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to urgently publish guidance for unaccompanied minors who have applied to travel to the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Kevin Foster: The Homes for Ukraine scheme is run and maintained by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities. More information can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-scheme-frequently-asked-questions

Passports: Applications

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of applications for British passports have been (a) replacements for existing passports and (b) applications for first time passports in the last 12 months.

Kevin Foster: Applications for a first passport typically represent 10-15% of the passport applications processed by Her Majesty’s Passport Office.Since April 2021, people have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport from the UK. This includes all application types, including first time applications. Between March and May 2022 approximately 98.5% of UK applications processed were completed within ten weeks.

Migrant Workers: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to minimise delays and bureaucracy for short term working visa applications for academics involved in international research visiting the UK as part of international collaborative projects.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of delays in providing short term visas to visiting academics who are on international research commissioned by UK universities; and if she will make a statement.

Kevin Foster: Performance has been impacted by a significant increase in the volume of correspondence received, including the unprecedented amount of correspondence about the situation in Afghanistan and more recently in Ukraine.The Department continues to prioritise enquiries related to Ukraine and recognises it has not been able to meet service standard in other cases. MPs can escalate urgent and compassionate cases via the team at Portcullis House.The Department continues to recruit additional resources and has recently been loaned staff from non-operational areas to assist in clearing the backlogs. A detailed recovery plan to support a return to an acceptable service standard is being prepared.Data about intake and performance in answering Hon. Members correspondence are published quarterly with the latest Quarter available at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/customer-service-operations-data-q1-2022We do not publish average waiting times for substantive responses to correspondence.

Asylum: Rwanda

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the total cost incurred for the flight that was scheduled to take asylum seekers to Rwanda on 14 June 2022.

Tom Pursglove: The costs of our broken asylum system are at a 20 year record high, currently costing the UK taxpayer over £1.5bn a year, with £4.7 million a day being spent on hotels alone. This cannot continue – and the partnership with Rwanda is a key part of our plans to reform the system and put an end to the unsustainable costs which impact the taxpayer. The Government’s efforts to facilitate entirely legitimate and legal returns of people who have entered the UK illegally are too often frustrated by late challenges submitted hours before the flight. These claims are very often baseless and entirely without merit, but are given full legal consideration which can lead to removal being rescheduled. Costs for individual flights will vary based on a number of different factors and are regularly reviewed to ensure that best value for money is balanced against the need to remove those individuals with no right to remain in the UK. We do not routinely disclose commercial or operational information relating to individual charter flights.

Migrant Workers: Health Professions

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to take steps to provide language skills training for refugees who are (a) dentists and (b) in other medical professions in sectors where there is a shortage in the UK.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office works closely with other government departments to ensure mainstream English language provision meets the needs of refugees.Individuals aged 19 or over with refugee status are immediately eligible for funding through the Department for Education’s Adult Education budget. This includes funding for English For Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes.The Home Office also provides a tariff per person to Local Authorities in return for providing a package of support to each refugee arriving via one of the UK’s formal resettlement schemes, including an £850 payment for English Language training.As set out in the New Plan for Immigration, we will enhance support provided to refugees by developing a package of tailored support such as language training, skills development and work placements to help them integrate into UK society and become self-sufficient more quickly.

Passports

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring travel companies to align their policies on passport expiry dates from date of travel with the policy of the country that the customer is travelling to.

Kevin Foster: This relates to travel overseas so is not a matter where the Home Office has responsibility, therefore no assessment has been made by the Home Office.

Visas

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to improve (a) transparency and (b) communication in the application system for spouse, fiancé, and unmarried partner visas.

Kevin Foster: UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) continues to prioritise Ukraine Visa Scheme applications in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the invasion of Ukraine, so applications for family visa routes are taking longer to process. In addition, we continue to see unpredictable levels of demand across all visa routes globally following the easing of international travel restrictions.UKVI are committed to providing customers with information on global visa processing times, and will continue to provide updates on the Visa decision waiting times page on GOV.UK and via our commercial partners’ websites. Spouse, fiancé, and unmarried partner applicants have been informed of extended processing times via email. Customers are encouraged to consider the information on processing times before booking travel to the UK.UKVI transparency data is published at regular intervals and the latest data can be found at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2022 to Question 6920, on Homes for Ukraine Scheme, how many applications to the Homes for Ukraine scheme were received by UK Visas and Immigration between 18 and 25 March 2022; and of those how many (a) had been accepted, (b) had been declined and (c) were still pending as at 18 April 2022.

Kevin Foster: Information on the number of visas granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) visa data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Information requested which is not contained within this published data is not routinely captured. To capture numbers would require a manual trawl of data and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Children

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications from unaccompanied minors to the Homes for Ukraine scheme her Department has fully processed.

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department processes applications to the Homes for Ukraine scheme from unaccompanied minors on a case-by-case basis.

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion applications from unaccompanied minors to the Homes for Ukraine scheme are awaiting (a) processing or (b) a decision.

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to communicate with unaccompanied minors on the progress of their applications to the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Kevin Foster: Unaccompanied minors are only eligible under the Homes for Ukraine scheme if they are reuniting with a parent or legal guardian in the UK, this policy is being kept under review.The current data on unaccompanied minors is contained in the following link:www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukraine-family-scheme-application-dataInformation requested which is not contained within this published data is not routinely captured. To capture numbers would require a manual trawl of data and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.Such applications received in accordance with the immigration rules for unaccompanied minors will normally be processed in date order from when documents are uploaded or after an appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC). Some cases will take longer as these are complex cases where safeguarding issues must be a priority before any decision is made.Applications made under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme are being prioritised by UKVI, and case workers are processing applications as quickly as possible.Applicants are contacted by email once their application has been received and processed. Where further information is needed on an application, UKVI contact applicants as a priority. Decisions are emailed to the email address provided in the application form.

Biometric Residence Permits

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time is for a biometric residence card as of 8 June 2022.

Kevin Foster: We aim to deliver a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) within 7 working days of the immigration decision.

Asylum: Applications

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse is of supporting an asylum seeker in the UK for six months while waiting for an asylum application to be processed.

Kevin Foster: The United Kingdom has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and other support whilst their application for asylum is being considered. The cost of supporting an asylum seeker is dependent on the level of support they receive.Section 95 allows for accommodation and a cash allowance to a person who would be destitute whilst they have an ongoing asylum claim or appeal. The standard package of support consists of accommodation and a cash allowance of £40.85 per week for each asylum seeker and any dependants in their household when dispersed and £8.24 per person whilst they are accommodated in full board IA. The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers on Asylum Support. These statistics can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-support.Accommodation costs are subject to change depending on numbers being accommodated within the asylum system. Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information. However, total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts.

Asylum: Employment

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessments she has made of the potential merits of permitting asylum seekers to work while they await the outcome of an asylum application.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to issue asylum seekers with temporary work permits while their application is being assessed.

Kevin Foster: Asylum seekers are allowed to work in the UK if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own. Those permitted to work are restricted to jobs on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL).A review of the policy has concluded and there will be no changes to the policy at this time.

Asylum: Applications

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of asylum applications received by her Department since 1 January 2022 have been classified as straightforward as defined in her Department's customer service standards.

Kevin Foster: Since October 2018 we have not classified asylum applications in this way.

Seasonal Workers: Hospitality Industry

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of foreign seasonal labour in the hospitality sector in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK.

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to facilitate access to foreign seasonal labour for the hospitality sector.

Kevin Foster: Issues with recruitment in the Hospitality sector are not unique to the UK, with reports of similar issues in the USA, the Republic of Ireland and Spain. This indicates factors other than immigration policy need to be considered to resolve these issues. Several roles in the hospitality sector (including chefs and managerial roles) are eligible for the Skilled Worker route in the Points Based System. Modelling by the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) suggest the new, lower salary and expanded skills thresholds, strike a reasonable balance between controlling immigration and business access to labour. Other roles will need to be filled from the resident workforce and those with full work rights, including the 6.5 million applicants under our EU Settlement Scheme, dependants of work visa holders, and those coming to the UK under our new Ukraine Schemes, the British National (Overseas) route, the Graduate route and Youth Mobility Schemes. Further advice from the MAC has been against the creation of sector specific visa routes.

Refugees: Ukraine

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy for refugees from Ukraine who have arrived under the Ukraine Family Scheme to be entitled to free travel on public transport for follow up visa appointments with her Department.

Kevin Foster: Ukrainian nationals coming to the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine Scheme are given access to work, benefits and public services as laid down in Appendix Ukraine to the Immigration Rules, details of which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-ukraine-schemeThey can access Universal Credit and jobs support immediately.Ukrainians here under our schemes will also be eligible for Housing Benefit, Pension Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Child Disability Living Allowance and Carers Allowance, and Attendance Allowance. Contributions-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), and Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) are also available for those Ukrainians who meet the criteria.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Vetting

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish guidance for (a) applicants, (b) sponsors, (c) caseworkers and (d) UKVI staff on the process for when sponsors are referred for additional security checks under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Kevin Foster: Guidance for the Homes for Ukraine scheme can be found at:UK visa support for Ukrainian nationals - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)This guidance is kept under regular review.

Asylum: Ukraine

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Ukrainian minors seeking asylum in the UK will be allowed to travel to the UK with individuals other than their legal parents or guardians where parental consent has been provided.

Kevin Foster: The Homes for Ukraine scheme is run and maintained by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities. More information can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-visa-under-the-ukraine-sponsorship-scheme

HM Passport Office: Telephone Services

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average telephone waiting time is for people phoning HM Passport Office.

Kevin Foster: In May 2022, the average waiting time for calls answered by the Passport Adviceline, which is run by Teleperformance, was 13 minutes.However, only 50.8 % of calls to the Passport Adviceline were answered. Teleperformance are required to improve this performance as soon as possible and, as part of their rectification plan, are in the process of adding 500 call agents compared to their position in mid-April.

Members: Correspondence

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 15 September 2021, (b) 24 February 2022 and (c) 16 May 2022 from the hon. Member for Ealing Central and Acton, reference RH51240.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 16 June 2022

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Affordable Housing and Social Rented Housing

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2022 to Question 2468 on Social Rented Housing: Construction, how many of the 180,000 new homes provided under the Affordable Homes Programme will be for affordable and social rent.

Stuart Andrew: The Government's £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme for 2021-2026 is expected to deliver around 32,000 new social rent homes. We have not set a specific target for the numbers of affordable rent homes.

Buildings: Safety

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, in what timescale the verification of developer-led remediation of unsafe buildings to PAS9980 standards will take place including during remediation and following remediation works being marked as complete by a developer.

Stuart Andrew: In signing the pledge, developers have committed to working at pace with government to finalise arrangements and commence remediation or mitigation work as quickly as reasonably possible. We also expect such developers to demonstrate that work is being progressed as quickly as reasonably possible as part of agreed monitoring arrangements.

Affordable Housing

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent progress he has made on the creation of affordable homes in the (a) West Midlands and (b) UK.

Stuart Andrew: Since 2010, we have delivered over 574,100 new affordable homes, including over 403,400 affordable homes for rent, of which over 154,600 homes for social rent. Between 2010 and 2021 over 57,000 affordable homes were built in the West Midlands, including over 42,985 affordable homes for rent, of which 18,098 were for social rent Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) will provide up to 180,000 new homes across the country, should economic conditions allow. Around half the homes will be for affordable and social rent and we will deliver more than double the amount of social rent compared to the current programme, with around 32,000 social rent homes due to be delivered In August 2021 we announced £8.6 billion of allocations for this programme, which will deliver 119,000 affordable homes. £568 million of this will be going to the West Midlands to deliver over 10,500 affordable homes.

Housing: Construction

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the impact the Habitats Directive on local authorities' house building programmes; and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on (a) reducing pollution and (b) cleaning rivers to help facilitate local authorities' house building programmes.

Stuart Andrew: We are aware meeting the requirements of the Habitats Regulations is impacting on development in some areas and my department and DEFRA continue to work across government to identify the range of solutions in the short, medium and long term. There is a package of support in place to enable local authorities affected by nutrient pollution to meet the requirements of the Habitats Regulations. This includes tools to help local authorities understand nutrient neutrality, ongoing practical support and funding to enable affected areas to respond to the challenges of nutrient pollution in a partnership approach.Government is working with the water industry and regulators to ensure that considerable investment is directed at reducing nutrient pollution from wastewater. From 2020 to 2025, water companies are investing £2.5 billion in measures that reduce nutrient pollution. We are also taking action to support farmers to go further to reduce agricultural pollution and deliver for nature.DEFRA have launched the Environment Act 2021 environmental targets consultation. This includes proposals for legally binding long-term targets to directly address pollution in the water environment from agriculture and wastewater. This includes reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment contribution from agriculture in the water environment by at least 40% by 2037 (against a 2018 baseline) and reducing phosphorus loadings from treated wastewater by 80% by 2037 (against a 2020 baseline).

Construction: Noise

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing requirements for residents to be made aware of (a) construction plans and (b) the projected noise pollution from those plans as a prerequisite for building works.

Stuart Andrew: A planning application for major development must be accompanied by a design and access statement. This will explain the design principles and concepts that have been applied to the proposed development and demonstrate the steps taken to assess the context of the proposed development.   All documents submitted as part of a planning application, including any noise impact or environmental impact assessments, are made publicly available for comment during the mandatory 21 consultation period. This ensures local residents are aware of the application, and its supported documents, and can comment on these. Our National Planning Policy Framework states that planning decisions and subsequent developments should not contribute to unacceptable levels of noise pollution and that developments should take into account adverse noise affecting existing amenities and local infrastructure.   The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will increase the opportunities for involvement to ensure development is brought forward in a way that works best for local people. Alongside traditional forms of engagement, digital engagement will remove barriers to engagement and provide new opportunities for local people to engage. We are clear that communities must have a say on development that affects them and they will retain the right to comment on planning applications.

Housing: Construction

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has plans to help protect high quality agricultural land from housing development.

Stuart Andrew: The Government already places great importance upon our agricultural land and food production. Within the National Planning Policy Framework, we set out that the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land should be reflected in planning policies and decisions. The Framework is also clear that where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality.

Energy: Costs

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what additional support his Department has made available to (a) Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council and (b) local authorities in Greater Manchester to help with the increased cost of energy.

Kemi Badenoch: The Local Government Finance Settlement 2022/23 makes available an additional £3.7 billion to councils in England Full details of all local authorities’ settlement allocations are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2022-to-2023 .

Parking: Codes Of Practice

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he expects to reissue the Private Parking Code of Practice.

Neil O'Brien: The Private Parking Code of Practice has been temporarily withdrawn to review the decisions to introduce new levels of private parking charges and to ban additional fees that are currently added on top of the late or unpaid parking charge. My department will continue to work with the industry and consumer groups to reissue the Code as quickly as possible. We are committed to reissuing a Code that provides both the best possible protection for motorists and enables effective management of parking.

Private Rented Housing: Older People

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people within one year of the statutory retirement age who live in in private rented accommodation.

Eddie Hughes: The most recent year of the English Housing Survey showed that there were 485,000 households with a household reference person* (HRP) aged 55-64 - the private rented sector housed 11% of households with a HRP in that age group. The private rented sector housed a further 382,000 households with a HRP aged 65 or older, accounting for 6% of households in that age group.There is no current data on the number of people within one year of the statutory retirement age who live in the private rented sector.*A HRP or household reference person is the person in whose name the accommodation is rented. If the property is rented jointly, it is the person in the household with the highest income.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if it is his policy to extend the £350 payment to host families of Ukrainian refugees under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme to those UK hosts hosting their own Ukrainian family members in the UK.

Eddie Hughes: The 'thank you' payments are only available to those sponsoring guests via the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. Further information can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-scheme-frequently-asked-questions.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Recruitment

Jessica Morden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to make the civil service recruitment process more dyslexia-friendly.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: As set out in the Declaration on Government Reform and the recent Civil Service Diversity Strategy, the civil service is committed to setting a new standard for inclusive workplaces. The Cabinet Office values the importance of ensuring our workplaces are inclusive for colleagues with dyslexia and we engage with relevant Networks where appropriate.We engage with Civil Service Dyslexia and Dyspraxia Network, via the Civil Service Disability Network and with other cross-Government Diversity Networks to update on key initiatives and share best practice. The network also features on the Diversity Networks webpage on GOV.UK and the Chairs are able to collaborate with other networks using our Diversity and Inclusion hub.Across the civil service we provide support via a range of individualised workplace adjustments to remove workplace barriers to enable dyslexic colleagues to thrive at work. Our Civil Service Dyslexia and Dyspraxia Network is a great support to improving the working environment for Civil Servants impacted by dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia across civil service departments. The development of the Toolkit has been widely shared with colleagues in Diversity and Inclusion.Our recruitment processes are reviewed regularly to ensure they remain as inclusive as they can be, with involvement from occupational psychologists to ensure they meet the requirements of as many people with disabilities as we reasonably can.An equality analysis was carried out in 2016 to demonstrate due and proper regard to our equality obligations. We used the analysis to assess the impact the introduction of online tests in recruitment was likely to have. This included reviews of the literature and involved a range of stakeholder and user consultations. External neurodiversity experts are also providing ongoing independent advice to GRS about how to improve the inclusive experience of neurodiverse test takers.The Civil Service publishes written and video guidance on the alternatives that exist for disabled test takers through the reasonable adjustment process.

Life Expectancy

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the average life expectancy in each region of England.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the hon. Member’s Parliamentary Question of 13 June is attached. UKSA response (pdf, 139.4KB)

Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to abolish the post of the Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests.

Michael Ellis: In light of the resignation of the Independent Adviser, Lord Geidt, on 15 June 2022, and the issues raised both by Lord Geidt and the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee about the adviser’s role, the Government is taking time to consider how best to fulfil the Prime Minister's commitment to ensuring rigorous oversight and scrutiny of ministerial interests.The process of managing ministerial interests continues in line with the Ministerial Code, which sets out that the Permanent Secretary in the department and the Cabinet Office can provide advice, and have a role in scrutinising interests.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Belfast

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Answer of 25 April 2022 to Question 155847 on Department for International Trade: Belfast, how many staff work in the Trade and Investment hub in Belfast.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department for International Trade has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Trade: Aerospace Industry

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she has had recent discussions on potential aerospace trade with (a) the UK Aerospace Industry and (b) her international counterparts in countries with which the UK seeks future trade deals.

Mike Freer: The Aerospace sector is a critical part of our economy and great example of the exporting potential of the UK, having exported £24.3bn of goods and services in 2020, over 97% of total production. The Secretary of State and the DIT ministerial team has regular engagement with several aerospace companies to help boost their exports and secure vital foreign investment into the sector. The aerospace sector is governed by bi-lateral and multilateral agreements that facilitate low and zero tariffs on the trade in aircraft goods, but the sector can also benefit from provisions in FTAs, for example digital and innovation. Leveraging our extensive overseas network, Ministers are constantly looking for opportunities for British companies, including those in the Aerospace sector.

Food Supply: Russia

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts on Russia’s role in the global food crisis.

Mike Freer: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has significantly exacerbated one of the most severe food and energy crises in recent history, which now threatens the poorest and most vulnerable globally. The G7 is committed to providing support to those countries who need it and ensuring any sanctions against Russia have no direct impact on food security or supply chains. The UK is working with Ukraine and international partners to help Ukraine export its grain and play its role as the breadbasket of the world. We will continue to fund humanitarian aid and economic support for those who need it most.

UK Export Finance: Media

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what total cost to the public purse, inclusive of VAT, was incurred by UK Export Finance between May 2018 and May 2022 for media buying services provided under the Crown Commercial Service's media buying framework agreement reference RM6003.

Mike Freer: UK Export Finance spent £7,915,609.69 (including VAT) over the four year period between May 2018 and May 2022 through framework agreement RM6003.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the Home Secretary on the effect of rules for recruiting and hiring workers from the EU on the roll out of superfast broadband.

Julia Lopez: The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has regular discussions with the Home Secretary about the Points-Based Immigration System to ensure that our Skilled Worker route provides generous catering for the telecommunications sector to attract the workers it needs, provided that skills, salary and English language requirements are met.

Arts: Ukraine

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she is taking steps to encourage performers, artists and creatives from Ukraine to travel to the UK.

Julia Lopez: DCMS is continuing to work with the cultural sector to understand the impacts of the war in Ukraine and, where appropriate, is engaging with other government departments. My officials have held meetings with sector representatives to discuss this directly. We engage at ministerial level with members of the Ukrainian Government, Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko and Kateryna Chuyeva regularly.The British Council’s planned UK-Ukraine Season of Culture is going ahead from June-November 2022 and will involve British and Ukrainian artists, creative sectors, and educators. The programme will advance knowledge of Ukraine in the UK, position the country’s cultural achievements, and create opportunities for Ukrainian creatives to develop lasting partnerships with their UK counterparts. DCMS sectors have been a key player in the UK’s response to the war in Ukraine. This has included severely restricting Russian and Belarussian state organisations’ participation in cultural events, public shows of solidarity with Ukraine from cultural organisations, and the cancellation of high-profile exhibitions and tours to the UK.My department regularly engages with representatives from across the UK cultural sector to ensure we have an ongoing picture of mobility and migration needs. We work with the Home Office to provide the best welcome for international talent, including for performers, artists, and creatives from Ukraine. UK Visas and Immigration in the Home Office is prioritising applications made in response to the humanitarian crisis arising from the invasion of Ukraine. However, there are a number of ways in which artists can come to perform in the UK.

Video Games: Children

Angela Richardson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of parental controls in video games; and whether she is taking steps to promote the use of such controls.

Julia Lopez: This Government is committed to ensuring that the UK is one of the safest places to be online - this includes video games.Parental controls are one of a number of tools that can be used to protect children from inappropriate or potentially harmful content on video game platforms.The use and impact of such protections is being considered as part of this Government’s call for evidence on loot boxes in video games. The Government’s response to the call for evidence on loot boxes in video games will be published in the coming months.

Broadband: Prices

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the average cost to households in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England for broadband connectivity in each of the last three years.

Julia Lopez: We do not hold broadband data on pricing at a regional or local-level. The prices consumers pay depends on a number of factors, including availability and choice of different providers, and how they take-up their services, for instance, whether they take-up additional services in bundled telecoms packages. Broadly, UK data shows that the telecoms market is competitive, with a range of services and deals being delivered to consumers at good value for money. Ofcom’s Pricing Trends Report based on 2020 data, which is its latest research on pricing, shows that average monthly spend on fixed services (broadband and landline combined) was £40.87 in 2020, £38.37 in 2019, and £39.92 in 2018.The Government has worked with providers to deliver low-cost, social tariffs for those in receipt of Universal Credit and other means-tested benefits. BT, Virgin Media O2, Sky, and a number of others, now offer broadband social tariff to the average cost of broadband. Between them, these products are available in 99% of the UK. Ofcom has a statutory duty to report on the affordability of telecommunication services, and we are working closely with them to monitor the market.

Digital Technology: Disadvantaged

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to tackle digital exclusion.

Chris Philp: The Government is focused on building a world-leading digital economy that works for everyone. As the overall lead department for digital, DCMS works closely with the rest of the government to ensure that all departments consider the needs of digitally excluded people when making policy.To improve access to the internet, help is available for low income households to access broadband, mobile and landline services. A range of low-cost social tariffs are available to those on Universal Credit, and a number specifically include individuals on Pension Credit. These tariffs are available to eligible households in 99% of the UK.To improve access to vital digital skills, the government has introduced a digital entitlement for adults with no or low digital skills. This allows adults wishing to acquire essential digital skills to gain specified digital qualifications, up to level 1, free of charge. Essential Digital Skills Qualifications (EDSQs), introduced alongside the digital entitlement, are based on new national standards which set out the digital skills people need to get on in life and work. We also support the provision of essential digital skills training in community settings through the Adult Education Budget.Public libraries play an important role in tackling digital exclusion. Around 2,900 public libraries in England provide a trusted network of accessible locations with staff, volunteers, free wifi, public PCs, and assisted digital access to a wide range of digital services.

Prime Minister

Lord Geidt

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister, for what reasons he sought the advice of Lord Geidt in his former role as Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests on the matter relating to the Trade Remedies Authority referred to by the Prime Minister in his letter of 16 June 2022 in response to Lord Geidt's resignation letter of 15 June 2022.

Boris Johnson: As I set out in my letter of 16 June, this request for advice related to a matter in the national interest on protecting a crucial industry that would otherwise suffer material harm.